Mask "igri" · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3033251
sold
EUR 3,200
Provenance
Sotheby’s New York, 20 January 1982, lot 214Harald & Ursula Suhr, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada / Germany
Size
H: 33 cm
H: 13.0 inch
Description
wood, polychrome paint, of narrow, elongated form with tapering chin and shield-shaped flattened forehead, enlivened by flat compartments, grooves and struts accentuated by changing colours, attached to a grass fibre base, plant fibre coiffure, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
this type is fairly rare, and can be worn by singers and musicians, among others. Apparently it is worn by older men. Another name for the type, “okonkpo”, indicates its similarity in shape to a large wooden food tray.
Comparing literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 32, ill. 72