Epa Mask
late 19th or early 20th century
Yorùbá
Arts of Africa
Epa masks are used in masking festivals commemorating the deeds of heroic ancestral warriors, whose stylized faces are represented at the bottom of this mask. These masquerades, which feature ritualized dances, are celebratory reenactments of ancient battles, part real and part mythical. The flanked figure on horseback is a potent reminder of the history of cavalry warfare on the northern edges of the Yoruba realms.
- Maker/Artist
- Yorùbá
- Classification
- Masks
- Formatted Medium
- Wood
- Medium
- wood
- Locations
- Place made: Osi-Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- Dimensions
- 39 1/4 x 15 x 18 in. (99.7 x 38.1 x 45.7 cm)
- Departments
- Arts of Africa
- Accession Number
- 70.107.13
- Credit Line
- Gift of David R. Markin
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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