A spectacular and flamboyant helmet mask like many of the Yoruba masks used in rites i Gelede to pay homage to elderly women, Our Mothers ( awon iya wa).
Indeed, among the Yoruba it was believed that elderly women were endowed with extraordinary powers almost comparable to those of gods or spirits, which could be used for good , but also destructively.
For this reason, the masks of Gelede society danced to entertain, amuse and make "Our Mothers" well disposed to use their great power, sometimes even economic power, for the good of the whole community.
Gelede masks have always been highly prized by collectors for the imaginative extravagance and great creativity used in artistic production, and it is not uncommon to come across masks with representations of pythons or other snakes that in some parts of Nigeria are worshipped as deities .
This Gelede mask, of great artistic quality, with its harmoniously sculpted, well-proportioned face marked by numerous and important scarifications, tells us with some humor, of a python comfortably curled between an old woman's head and her hat, while she looks at it amused.
Some missing, visible flaws and notable signs of use.