Large, Yoruba Epa Helmut Mask by Master Woodcarver Bamgboye

This tall and impressive Epa mask and headdress is almost certainly by the master woodcarver Bamgboye (c. 1888-1978) of Odo-Owa. (Bamgboye was one of the most highly celebrated carvers of his generation.)

It comprises a central chief figure on the highest tier, along with other small attendant figures. Another row of attendant figures is on the tier below. Several figures appear to be wearing Islamic dress. All this rests on a janus-faced helmet mask of two faces, on the lowest level. All has been ingeniously carved from a single piece of wood. The mask is decorated with black, brown and white ochres.

The main figure of the chief and has adopted semi-European clothing, including a broad-rimmed hat. He is depicted as much larger than all the other figures because he is more powerful than everyone else. He is also shown seated on a stool which is a privilege of his authority. He holds a staff of office in his right hand.

The mask also includes Eshu influence – symbols include those drawn from the Eshu cult.

Such masks were used in the northern Ekiti towns for Epa festivals or masquerades which celebrated important events and persons in the history of a particular community. Human figures carved on the masks were of an idealised type however. Typically, the festivals last from three to seven days.

Masks such as this example were incredibly heavy to wear and the ritual efficacy of the mask depended in part on how well the dancer could manage its weight and still dance and leap over several mounds as part of the performance. If the dancer loses control of the mask or breaks it then this was regarded as a bad omen.

A similar mask attributed to Bamgboye is illustrated in Lawal (2008, p. 83). Another is illustrated in Lawal (2012, p. 54). B., Yoruba, 5 Continents, 2012. And another was offered at Sotheby’s New York, ‘African, Oceanic & Pre-Columbian Art’ sale, May 15, 2015, lot 183. A helmet mask by Bamgboye also is in the British Museum. There are many small nuances in Bamgboye’s work that help to identify each piece as one of his, other than the overall form. One small common characteristic are the helmets or hairstyles many of his figures have which are upturned slightly at the front in the manner of a Spanish morion helmet.

The handful of published Epa masks by Bamgboye typically involve the theme of ‘going to war’ or jagunjagun and show a leader, soldiers and servants.

The mask is largely intact. There is shrinkage-related split to the chief’s hat and a small section has been reglued, and there is an old chip to one of his upper arms, plus some likely termite damage to the figure’s knee, but these are lost amid the overall enormity and complexity of the mask. Overall, it is a monumental and sculptural work.

A steel band around the chief’s left hand is impressed with the word ‘Antiquities’ and what seems to be an accession number ‘4349’. So the mask appears to have been in a museum collection or similar in the past but we do not have information about which.