Ibibio Medicine Bowl with Figural Handle, Based

A spoon-shaped bowl with a calm face rising from its handle.

Ibibio carvers of Northern Nigeria, West Africa, made this wooden medicine bowl with a figural handle in the 20th century. Bowls of this kind are often associated with healing and ritual practice, where a vessel for preparations might be paired with a carved human presence. A long, slender neck lifts a small head with closed, narrow eyes and a smooth domed crown. The shallow dish below is worn pale and chalky inside, with a scalloped rim picked out in white. It stands on a black metal base.

About 11 inches tall. Quiet company for a shelf that needs a witness.