Rare "kwagh hir" festival mask ·  Nigeria, Tiv · ID: 3050747

Description

wood, paint, metal, black mass, seed capsules, plant fibre, bone, magic pendant (wooden object wrapped in cotton fibres and newspaper), base

“Kwagh-hir” (literally means “something magical”) is a multipart culturally edifying art form of the Tiv people of central Nigeria which became popular in the 1960s. It is a dramatic public performance telling moral stories of past and current events, and incorporates puppetry, masquerading, music, dance and animated narratives to portray its moral themes. It is used by the Tiv people to reinforce traditional beliefs and convey other worldly tales to educate, socialize, provide secular entertainment and address societal issues.

“Kwagh-hir” is a higher art form of “kwagh-alom”, an aged practice of the Tiv people where the family was treated to a storytelling session by creative storytellers, usually in the early hours of the night after the day’s farming work by moonlight

A monograph published by Jonathan Fogel and Ethan Rider in 2017 shows a selection from the rich repertoire of extraordinary masks, puppets and other props used at the “kwagh-hir” festival.

The object Rare “kwagh hir” festival mask with the object ID 3050747 was part of the auction 102nd Auction on April 13, 2024, lot number 192 at that time and is currently available for EUR 4,000 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

Rider, Ethan & Jonathan Fogel, "Something magical - The Kwagh-Hir of the Tiv", Objects from the Jerome Bunch Collection, BFP 2017