Description:

Africa, Nigeria, Igbo peoples, early 20th century CE. This is a wooden mask in the Okoroshi Oma style, hand carved and narrow, to be worn atop the head rather than over the face, with the rest of the body covered beneath it to hide the identity of the wearer. The mask's face is long and painted white with some blue pigment added on the bridge of the nose. The eyes are small and narrowed and the mouth is large. The feature of the mask that you will immediately notice, however, is the hair, which is done in spikes atop the head and twisted braids down the sides of the face. Okoroshi Oma masks are white faced, pretty masks meant to represent women water spirits; they are worn during the six month rainy season and represent the dualities associated with the feminine; there are complementary male spirit masks, which have black faces. Size: 4.75" W x 12.25" H (12.1 cm x 31.1 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private Poolos collection / Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL

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#113564

  • Condition: Slight cracking to wood near top; expected wear to paint; form and decoration clear.

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May 12, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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