A very old and beautiful crest head, very expressive, characteristic of southern Idoma and associated with regulatory, festive or corporate societies whose functions it symbolically represents. A structure has survived on the top of the head, like the lid of a box, which fits over the crest's cap. The carving of the legs of a bird, which was standing on the crest, is clearly visible. For a crest from the same corpus with a cap of the same type, see the one from the former Samir Borro and Émile Deletaille collections published in Arts d'Afrique Noire, n°83, 1992. Idoma, Nigeria Hardwood, beautiful pigment relics, visible accidents and missing pieces (old breaks), very beautiful old oxidation and old patina. Provenance: Stéphane Kurc Collection, Paris Height: 26cm Publication: Vilmorin, Gloire de la femme dans l'art africain, Palais des Arts, Dinard, June 28 - September 14, 2008, p.93, n°D3