LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June African & Oceanic Art Auction #645  / 

48181

Igbo (Nigeria), Owerri Region, Ogbaku/Agwa area

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Igbo (Nigeria), Owerri Region, Ogbaku/Agwa area
<B>Igbo (Nigeria), Owerri Region, Ogbaku/Agwa area</B></I><BR><I>Okoroshi</B></I> Mask<BR>Wood, pigment<BR>Height: 9 ½ inches Width: 6 inches Depth: 4 inches<BR><BR>This oval, white-faced feminine mask has an elaborate three-tiered crescentic hairstyle below which black triangles project downward toward the brow line. Facial features are emphasized with black outlining, and the moth is open showing delicate teeth under layers of white kaolin. Holes for costume attachment ring the oval back of the mask.<BR><BR>Okoroshi is a six week masking season during which water spirits (maskers) bless the growing crops during the height of the rainy season, then usher in the eating of New Yam. White-faced masks generally embody benign female characters who dance prettily in open arenas for large crowds. They are conceptually opposed to dark masked male characters, often with ugly faces. The proper left ear has lost its upper two-thirds and there is a one-inch loss in the bottom rim; otherwise sound.<BR><BR>Provenance: H. Bruce Greene II and family, Naples, Florida<BR><BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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