Urhobo mask associated with a water spirit (edjorame), which intervened during major annual festivals. Surmounted by a plaited vertical headdress, the face offers heavy curved, lowered eyelids, and a protruding mouth revealing the teeth. The short, straight nose is coated with black pigment extending over the eyebrows. Abraded polychrome patina, erosions. br>The Urhobo, living near the northwest of the Niger Delta River, form the major ethnic group in Delta State among the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They speak Urhobo, a language of the Niger-Congo group. Together with the closely related Isoko, they are collectively known as Sobo. Their large sculptures representing the spirits of nature, edjo, or founding ancestors of the clan, to whom sacrifices were offered, were grouped together in sanctuaries within the villages. They also produce figures similar to the Ikenga of the Igbo called iphri, ivwri, half-animal half-human in form. They personify male aggression and are intended for warriors and notables. However, after consultation with the diviner, young children can also wear, attached to their necks, miniature iphri in the form of geometric amulets. Lit. : "Arts of Nigeria Revisited"; Barbier-Mueller Museum; ed. Somogy.
250.00 € Possibility of payment in 2x (2x 125.0 €) This item is sold with its certificate of authenticity
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