Igbo Mgbedike Mask, Estate Purchase

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Igbo Mgbedike Mask, Estate Purchase:
$42.95

A dramatic, crisply-carved Igbo Mgbedike (\"Time of the Brave\") mask, from Nigeria. These masks depict fearsome wilderness spirits, and are worn with costumes made of leaves; rival masking societies stage competitions in which their dancers fight mock battles with one another. This example shows a typical mixture of human and animal features. Around the edges, abundant nail-holes provide evidence of the various costume materials that would have been attached at different times. A couple bits of monkey fur are still attached. Unusually for an African mask, this one has been made out of multiple pieces of wood, joined together -- the horns and medicine gourd are separate pieces nailed into place. I originally purchased this from a Louisville-area estate reseller. This mask measures an impressive 21 inches tall, 7 1/2 inches across, and 6 1/2 inches deep. The stand is for photography only and is not included in the sale.International buyers are welcome, but I require that they pay via Paypal. The shipping price, here, is a bit higher, to account for the larger box this piece requires.