Lot: 178

Auction 103

Maiden spirit mask "agbogho mmwo"

Nigeria, Igbo

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Fred Tymoshenko, Toronto, Canada H: 16.1 inch 2500 EUR
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance

wood, pigments, base

With these masks, the Igbo institutionalize and glorify youthful female beauty, and meld it with the power of venerable ancestors. All Igbo regions create and dance these masks even if the best known come from the northwest quarter of Igboland. Their white coloration is usually said to to refer to ancestral spirits.