20th C. African Ogoni Painted Wood Mask

**Originally Listed At $300**

West Africa, Southeastern Nigeria, Ogoni peoples, ca. mid-20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden mask depicting a highly stylized female countenance. The face presents with slit-form eyes, a triangular nose, puffy lips with a delineated philtrum, and flush ears, all beneath a finely incised coiffure with a prominent central crest. Yellow pigment covers the serene visage, with black and brown hues coloring the hair, and red paint adorning the lips and discoid medallions - indicative of ritual scarification - in front of the ears. The Ogoni people, living in the fertile land east of the Niger River Delta, have a long history of masquerading, despite the efforts of Christian missionaries to stop this activity. Masks are used in a wide variety of situations - entertainment, participation in rituals, and attending social events like funerals. Lucite display stand for photography purposes only. Size: 3.7" W x 7.1" H (9.4 cm x 18 cm)

Provenance: Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, USA; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired in the 1960s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#150110
Condition Report: Nicks and abrasions to face, base, coiffure, peripheries, and verso, with chipping to some painted areas, and a few stable fissures, otherwise intact and very good. Great patina in areas where paint has chipped away, and nice traces of original pigment throughout. Mounted with iron loop screw on verso for suspension.