Masque "okoroshioma", environ 1900 · Nigéria, 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.
L’objet Masque “okoroshioma”, environ 1900 avec l’ID d’objet 3042319 a fait partie de la vente aux enchères 86e vente aux enchères Tribal Art dans 27 mai 2017. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 313 a atteint un prix de vente de 1 600 € pour un prix d’adjudication de 1 000 €.
Vous trouverez d’autres Masques et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art africain pourrait également vous intéresser.
Littérature comparée
Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984, p. 181 ff.