A wood head dress

Description:

Igbo (?), Nigeria
H. 34,5 cm
Wood with polychrome paint. Rare “Kolon” type. The design of the face and hairstyle aims to depict a European. Also unmistakable is the pith helmet that crowns the facial area. The depiction of Europeans within traditional African art is a special feature. Mainly known are figurative representations, the so-called “Kolon figures”, with the term Kolon deriving from the colonial powers of the time. Remarkable and rare, however, is this type as a mask or dance headdress.
From the collection of Helmut Zake (1918-1995), Heidelberg, German historian and founder of the Society for Ethnology and Tribal Art, inherited within the family - Partly minor wear and only few fine age cracks