Mask "mma ji" · Nigeria, Igbo-Afikpo · ID: 3035418
Swiss Private Collection
Description
wood, black and white paint, carved with three tubular projections and a sickle-shaped horn on the forehead, cut with geometrical forms, accentuated by changing colours, min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
the upright projection on this mask represents a yam-cutting knife (“mma ji”) which gives the mask its name. The mask is a popular Afikpo type and has a wide range of usage, eg. for harvest festivities and inititation rites of young boys, for their popular “okumkpa” masquerades and other dramatizations.
The object Mask “mma ji” with the object ID 3035418 was part of the auction 74th tribal art auction on September 7, 2013. The object with the lot number 77 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,400 with an asking price of EUR 500.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K. & William Arnett, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 32