The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Headdress

early 1900s

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Idoma-style carver

Wood, human hair, paint, and possibly kaolin
Overall: 20.4 x 17.8 x 16.2 cm (8 1/16 x 7 x 6 3/8 in.)
James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund 1964.444
Location: 108A African

Did You Know?

Holes in the neck once attached a flat raffia disk or strings for wearing the headdress-type mask on top of the head.

Description

This was used in masked performances of the Agrinya society, a powerful guild formerly restricted to men who had killed an elephant, lion, or man. The white pigment connotes the realm of the ancestors, while the aggressive expression of the face seems to suggest the courage of Agrinya society members.
  • ?–1964
    M. Sainsbury, Bath
    1964–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by purchase
  • Year in Review: 1965. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27-November 14, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Headdress|url=false|author=|year=early 1900s|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.444