Description:

**Originally listed at 300**

West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo people, early 20th century CE. A dramatic, large anthropomorphic/zoomorphic mask presenting a red face with jutting, toothy mouth, heavy brow, deep set eyes, and from the center of the forehead, twin long, curved white horns hanging down over the face. Hair, painted a smooth, glossy black, flows down into a short beard. The eye holes were created for the wearer to see through, but also give the piece a haunted look. Size: 9.3" L x 10.5" W x 18.75" H (23.6 cm x 26.7 cm x 47.6 cm)

In Igbo society, masked dancers wear elaborate costumes, including being sometimes covered with mirrors, and don these masks and costumes not just to trick others but so that their true identities disappear, subsumed by the spirit they inhabit.

Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL, acquired prior to 1970.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#118563

  • Condition: Horns have been reattached. Pigment shows minor fading.

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June 26, 2017 9:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000