Two anthropomorphic masks "okoroshi ojo" · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3045962
Allan Stone, New York, USA
Description
wood, pigments, base
This mask type appears at so-called “okoroshi” ceremonies, which are connected with rituals for deities or spirits of the water “owu”.
Due to the dark colour and their rather coarse appearance, these masks can be assigned to the “okoroshi oyo” type. “Oyo” means evil, dark, ugly or heavy. The masks embody aggressive evil spirits.
They are opposed by the “okoroshi oma” masks, which represent benign and friendly spirits and are dyed in white.
The object Two anthropomorphic masks “okoroshi ojo” with the object ID 3045962 was last part of the auction 93rd Tribal Art Auction at November 16, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 195.
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Comparing literature
compare AHDRC 0159041 Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 186