Epa masquerades honor the heroes of Yoruba society, such as this dignified woman holding a gourd filled with materials used in prayer. The mask honors the procreative powers of women. In a masquerade featuring several Epa masks, this work would appear fourth, after the god who introduced farming and hunting, a warrior carrying a spear, and the god of herbal medicines. The carver of this work, Akobi Fakeye, was a member of an acclaimed family of artists. His son, Lamidi Fakeye, identified this mask as his father's work during a visit to Baltimore in 2009.