IGBO, MAIDEN SPIRITS (MMWO) MASK, NIGERIA
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Description
20th c.
Carved wood, pigment, cloth
17" x 8" x 11"
Provenance: Allan Stone Collection, New York
These masks were worn by young Igbo men of the society of the “mmwo” or “maiden spirits” on the occasion of maiden ceremonies. Maiden ceremonies instructed and educated the young in both moral behavior and the canons of physical beauty, as these correspond to ethics: height, a correct posture, a slim and straight nose and a small mouth symbolized generosity, purity, obedience and good character. These dances also took place to mark the harvest and the dry season for the feast of the Earth Goddess, to propitiate a rich and abundant harvest.
References
Nigeria, Collections, Ethnological Museum, Vatican Museums (museivaticani.va)
Carved wood, pigment, cloth
17" x 8" x 11"
Provenance: Allan Stone Collection, New York
These masks were worn by young Igbo men of the society of the “mmwo” or “maiden spirits” on the occasion of maiden ceremonies. Maiden ceremonies instructed and educated the young in both moral behavior and the canons of physical beauty, as these correspond to ethics: height, a correct posture, a slim and straight nose and a small mouth symbolized generosity, purity, obedience and good character. These dances also took place to mark the harvest and the dry season for the feast of the Earth Goddess, to propitiate a rich and abundant harvest.
References
Nigeria, Collections, Ethnological Museum, Vatican Museums (museivaticani.va)
Condition
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IGBO, MAIDEN SPIRITS (MMWO) MASK, NIGERIA
Estimate $400 - $600
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