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THBNigerian Igbo Painted Wood Maiden Mask - Agbogho Mmanwu
Lot 52b
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$800 - $1,200
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
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2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
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- Lot Description
West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo (Ibo) culture, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A striking and elaborately carved Igbo Agbogho Mmanwu (maiden spirit) mask from southeastern Nigeria, created in the early to mid-20th century. The finely modeled face is painted white with kaolin, a color symbolizing purity, spirituality, and connection to the ancestral realm. Petite and refined facial features convey the Igbo ideal of feminine beauty - a high smooth forehead, delicately arched brows, a straight narrow nose, pursed lips, and facial scarification marks. Rising dramatically above the head is an elaborate multi-looped coiffure, intricately carved from the same block of wood as the face. This crest-like hairstyle, accentuated with red, black, and ochre pigments, embodies both youthful elegance and social prestige. Coiled python motifs interlace the coiffure, symbolizing divine messengers, beauty, and latent power. Size: 11.8" L x 9" W x 19.6" H (30 cm x 22.9 cm x 49.8 cm); 26" H (66 cm) on included custom stand.
Pythons are deeply revered in Igbo belief as intermediaries between humans and the spirit world, feared yet venerated for their role in spiritual protection.
Such masks were worn exclusively by men during dry season agricultural festivals, commemorative funerals for esteemed community members, and the famed Agbogho Mmanwu performances celebrating maidenhood. The masquerade dramatizes both physical and moral ideals for young women: purity, grace, modesty, generosity, and obedience. The refined aesthetic is further amplified by theatrical dance performances in which the wearer moves with measured elegance, captivating audiences and spirits alike. This mask not only serves as a visual embodiment of the Igbo ideal of beauty but also acts as a conduit between the living and ancestral spirits. The white face, coiffure, and symbolic adornments combine artistry and ritual function, making this a masterful example of the Igbo maiden spirit tradition.
Exhibited at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe in "The Ralph T. Coe Legacy 'Instruments of Passion'" from August 9th to 13th, 2013 and the Allen Memorial Museum at Oberlin College in Ohio as part of "Selections from the Ralph T. Coe Collection of African Art" from October 3rd to December 15th, 2002.
Published in a catalog of the exhibition at Oberlin College: Oberlin College, Allen Memorial Art Museum, October 3-December 10, 2002, ill #29.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired via descent in 2010; ex-private collection of Ralph T. Coe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; purchased from an African runner from the war in Biafra
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.
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#196423Two small, stable, fissures to proper right side of headdress and snake. Areas of old, inactive insect holes. Age-expected surface wear as shown. Otherwise, intact and excellent with good remains of pigment and patina throughout.Condition
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