Mask "okoroshi oma", around 1900 · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3042319
Östlund was a sailor throughout his life. He spent a lot of time in Western Africa, particularly in Nigeria, where he collected the present mask, which remained family property since that time.
Description
wood, white and indigo blue pigment, black paint, traces of turquoise, smiling mouth, upper lip plug, raised scarification marks, slightly dam., missing part (backside at the rim/chin area), rep. (breakage at the left rim), abrasion of paint, traces of old age and usage;
in “owu” season (at the peak of 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 “okoroshioma” - “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 “okoroshi ojo”, “ojo” meaning dark, ugly or heavy.
The object Mask “okoroshi oma”, around 1900 with the object ID 3042319 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 313 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,600 with an asking price of EUR 1,000.
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Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 181 ff.