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Lot 157
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20th C. Colonial African Igbo Wood Headdress Sculpture
20th C. Colonial African Igbo Wood Headdress Sculpture
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West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo people, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A massive sculptural wooden mask and headdress that depicts traditional Igbo culture with the overshadowing figure of a colonist in the center. Forming the base is a large cylindrical helmet cap with strap piercings for the wearer. At the center is a tall, white European man with a pith type of hat, flanked by large hornbill birds, their beaks dramatically arching downward. Perched around the man are figures including a mother nursing her child, a woman carrying a bundle with cotton straps, a man holding a clock, a woman with a rooster attached to her waist, and some abstract demon or spirit figures. White visages that probably represent Amadioha or other masks are set into the helmet below the figures. Although enormous, the wood is somewhat lightweight and could be balanced on a performer's head for a short duration during the masquerade or kept on display in a shrine to direct prayers. Size: 18" Diameter x 34" H (45.7 cm x 86.4 cm)

These masks traditionally are used to represent important roles in the community and serve as entertaining artistic expression and cultural commentary. The main figure wearing a pith helmet hat is a telling sign of colonialism in Nigeria.

For a similar example please see the British Museum’s website, museum number: Af1954,23.522.

Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s

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#170527

    Condition:
  • Losses due to old inactive insect activity and bore holes on the central base and neck area of main figure. Other losses to figures. Several are removable and loosely attached via pegs or tenons. Old repairs with metal plates to bird heads and break lines on beaks and heads. Stable pressure fissure on central figure's hat. Earthen deposits, discoloration, and chipping to pigments. Nice preservation to figural details.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
January 30, 2025 8:00 AM MST
686 S. Taylor Ave., #108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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