African Arts Gallery

Janiform version of the African Igbo mask Agbogo Mmwo offering the classic criteria glorifying youth and beauty according to the traditional Igbo conception. Openwork discs surmount the faces.
Abraded matte patina, indigenous restoration, erosions.
The Igbo live in the forest in southeastern Nigeria. They have managed to combine a strong sense of individuality with an equally strong sense of belonging to the group. Their political system is complex and little known. The village constitutes the most important social unit, the smallest being the extended family. Each village has a high degree of autonomy and is placed under the authority of the oldest lineage chief. The religion of the Igbo includes on the one hand the god Chuku, supreme creator, considered omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, and on the other hand the spirit of the earth Ala.