Mask "mma ji" · Nigeria, Igbo-Afikpo · ID: 3035540
(for detailed information on Gabriel Viaud-Bruant please see Lot 143)
Heléne Amiault Girault, Bagnolet, France
Description
wood, lusterless patina, polychrome paint, carved with three tubular projections and a sickle-shaped horn on the forehead, decorated with geometrical forms, accentuated by changing colours, plaited grass fibre band around the rim, rep. (breakage forehead), traces of insect caused damage and abrasion, socle;
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 “okumpa” masquerades and other dramatizations.
The object Mask “mma ji” with the object ID 3035540 was part of the auction 74th tribal art auction on September 7, 2013. The object with the lot number 214 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,500 with an asking price of EUR 2,200.
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.