Early 20th C. Nigerian Igbo Wooden Helmet Mask:
West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A wonderful carved-wood helmet mask embellished with black and white paint. Intricately incised with a lovely geometric pattern along its forehead, the intriguing vizard presents slender, almond-shaped eyes under a curved brow, a narrow, pointy nose, and a full-lipped mouth held open to display top and bottom rows of square teeth. A pair of petite ears flanks the unique visage, while a series of annular drill holes line the periphery, perhaps for attaching ornamentation or allowing the piece to be strapped to a costume and worn. This mask could possibly be an Ogbojeda (or “fool”) mask, which was used for the Okperegede Masquerade, a traditional gathering that commemorates the reunion of the living community with their ancestors via a multi-character masked performance. Size: 7.75″ W x 11.625″ H (19.7 cm x 29.5 cm)
