Anthropomorphic face mask · Nigeria, Urhobo · ID: 3053349
Starting price
EUR 1,500
Estimated price
EUR 2,500
Provenance
Wilhelm Krohn, Eckernförde, GermanyKarl Anton Ganzenmüller, Schönkirchen, Germany
Size
H: 42,5 cm
H: 16.7 inch
Description
wood, pigments, rest.
According to Foss, this mask represents a bride of the Urhobo, called “opha”. The hairstyle with horn-like extensions is intended to reflect the young girls’ elaborate coiffures when they are presented to the village community. Their appearance emphasises the powerful role played by the water spirits as protectors of the young women.
Comparing literature
Foss, Perkins (ed.), Where Gods and Mortals Meet, New York 2004, p. 119 f., ill. 66, 68