Ibibio Medicine Bowl with Figural Handle, Based

Arms raised, face steady, a bowl held in front like a plea.

This wooden medicine bowl with a figural handle was carved by Ibibio artists of Northern Nigeria, West Africa, in the 20th century. Figural bowls of this sort are commonly linked to healing and ritual contexts. Here the figure’s arms arch up and around a high, openwork headdress, with a straight-nosed face at the center and small hands resting on the bowl’s rim. The wide dish is worn to a pale, scuffed interior and a warm, honeyed outside. It is mounted on a black metal stand.

About 13 inches tall. Dramatic from the front, composed from every other angle.