Mama Wood Bushcow Mask, Based

From the front, it is mostly a ring. From the side, a very large animal enters the room.

This bushcow mask, based, is by the Mama peoples of Nigeria, West Africa, 20th century, in wood. The Mama are known for horizontal masks of the bush cow, reduced to strong abstract forms, worn on the head during dances generally connected with farming and community rites. Its horns have been simplified into one thick oval loop. The head tapers below that to a broad flat muzzle. The whole surface is rough and pitted, reddish with dark patches. Nineteen inches high.

Almost nothing left of the animal, and yet there is no mistaking it.