An Igbo Mask, "okoroshi" Lot n° 38

Mask, "okoroshi Igbo, Nigeria Mit Sockel / with base wood. H 23 cm. W 15 cm. Provenance: - Galerie Noir d'Ivoire, Reginald Groux. - Swiss private collection (2002). A written confirmation of authenticity by Reginald Groux (2005) will be given to the buyer. Every year during the rainy season, a celebration in honor of the water spirits (owu) took place for an entire month in various southwestern Igbo villages. During this time, two opposing dance groups performed almost daily: On one side danced the white, female okoroshioma, who stood for purity and good spirits. Their aggressive male opponents were the Okoroshiojo, who represented evil and darkness and wore a wide variety of masks, often distorted to the point of grotesqueness. Further reading: Cole, Herbert M. / Aniakor, Chike C. (1984). Igbo Arts - Community and Cosmos. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History. CHF 400 / 800 EUR 400 / 800