A MAGNIFICENT EKOI THREE-FACED HELMET MASK, Nigeria

covered with water buck (kobus ellipsiprymnus) hide.

James Camp, New York
Chaim and Renee Gross, New York, acquired from the above in the 1970s

Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., The Sculptor's Eye: The African Art collects ion of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross, 1976 (additional venues: Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, November 5, 1976 - January 2, 1977; Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, March 27 - May 1, 1977; Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, May 17 - July 17, 1977)

Ladislas Segy, Masks of Black Africa, New York, 1976, pl. 186
Arnold Rubin, The Sculptor's Eye, Washington, D.C., 1976, p. 55, cat. 51
Warren M. Roberts, and Nancy I. Nooter, African Art in American collects ions, Washington and London, 1989, p. 291, fig. 749

Good condition overall; minor age cracks, nicks and scratches, wear and tear from traditional use, the skin surface is very dry and fragile and partially ripped, as seen on photographs; the proper right ear of the male has some losses with one part glued back; fine aged dark brown patina with traces of white pigment.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any stat.mes nt made by Replica Shoes 's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This impressive helmet mask of monumental dimensions is the extravagant variation of the more common iconography of a janus-head with one male and one female face on each side. While the reddish male face dominates one half of the composition, the female half is broken up in two narrow faces of light color, rendering the whole composition dynamic and extremely powerful. At least two other masks by the same artist are known, both showing the same three-faced iconography: one in the collects ion of Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, New Jersey (published in McKesson 1985: 17) and a second, which was sold at Maîtres Poulain et Le Fur, Paris, June 30, 1988, lot U. A third mask, not by the same artist but presumably by his workshop, is published in Berjonneau and Sonnery (1987: pl. 126).