Igbo (Ibo), Nigeria

Spirit mask. The lack of overall centralization among the Igbo-speaking peoples has been conducive to the development of a great variety of art styles and cultural practices. The Igbo use thousands of masks, which incarnate unspecified spirits of the dead, forming a vast community of souls. The outstanding characteristic of the many Igbo masks is that they are painted chalk white, the color of the spirit. With their masks, the Igbo oppose beauty to bestiality, the feminine to the masculine, black to white. Masked dancers wore extremely elaborate costumes. The masks, of wood or fabric, are employed in a variety of dramas: social satires, sacred rituals (for ancestors and invocation of the gods), initiation, burials, and public festivals. Today their function is limited largely to entertainment.

Material:  wood

Size: 17”, W. 10”, D. 5”

Price: $210 + $26 (S&H)               [#G0I9M944]