Mask "okoroshi" ·  Nigeria, Igbo, Mgbala Agwa village, Romanus Nzeke (1970s) · ID: 3052228

Description

wood, pigments,

For a comparable object of this artist see AHDRC 0094989.

During the peak of the rainy season the water spirits descent to earth from their homes in the clouds in order to dwell and cavort among human beings. These legendary spirits materialize in villages as masqueraders. All maskers are called “okoroshi”, best translated as “water spirit”.

The benign and friendly ones are “okoroshi oma” - “beautiful spirits”, white-faced and white-dressed. The Igbo word “oma” means good, pretty, and light. Their aggressive male counterparts in dark blankets are called “okoroshiojo”, “ojo” meaning dark, ugly or heavy (cf. Cole & Aniakor, 1984, p. 186).

The object Mask “okoroshi” with the object ID 3052228 was part of the auction Auction 105 on November 15, 2025, lot number 304 at that time and is currently available for EUR 1,000 in Open sale.

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

Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 195, ill. 309