Ibibio Medicine Bowl with Figural Handle, Based

A woman with a patterned headdress offers up a bowl as wide as her body.

Ibibio carvers of Nigeria, West Africa, made this medicine bowl with a figural handle in wood in the 20th century. Bowls like this are commonly associated with healing and ritual use. A seated figure with a bold, zigzag headdress and crossed arms rises above a flat oval bowl. White pigment clings in the carved lines and across the face, while the bowl’s inner surface is carved with a faint decorative panel. The wood is weathered, with a soft grey-brown patina. It stands on a black mount.

About 12.5 inches tall. The figure holds the bowl, and your attention.