Amongst the Ibo, in south-eastern Nigeria, there are a number of variations of the mask type of a ‘beautiful girl’, who comes benevolently from the afterlife to living men. There is this type as a large helmet mask ‘agbogho mmwo’, crafted from a piece of wood, with high crest carved out from the same piece (see cat. no. 78). And there are the smaller face masks, representing the same ‘beautiful girl’ (see cat. no. 80). Both mask types are ‘danced’ in by young men in tight, colourful costumes and often on stilts during harvest festivals and at ceremonies in honour of ancestors, women and the earth gods. The present helmet mask of the Ibo is manifestly a very rare variant of this type: Here, a very old, perfectly formed face mask of a ‘beautiful girl’ is attached onto and inside an extremely fine plaited ‘helmet’ of vegetal staffs and fibres. The Ibo face mask used here is very old and finely executed. With characteristic, black-dyed, crescent shaped points and spikes going out from the eyes over both halves of the face, with its black-dyed, sharp-edged, slightly curved and pierced nose above the open mouth with rows of white teeth and black lips. On the remaining surfaces of the mask face, up to the small, pierced ears, remains of an old coating of white kaolin clay are visible.
This very old mask is tied to the finely braided, round helmet by means of rattan strips, surrounded by a woolly bulge of reddish-white cotton threads. Above the mask lies a red fabric strip, inlaid with two cowrie shells as decoration, up to a thick textile ring which is attached to the top of the ‘helmet’. A very similar ring is found in the interior of the helmet as a soft padding for the head of the masked dancer. A rare type of helmet mask of the Ibo. With only one break in the wickerwork of the helmet at the back. Otherwise no damage. And yet with many traces of protracted use. There is a collection inventory number, in white letters, on the lower inside rim of the helmet.
Height: 33 cm (mask and helmet); diameter: 30 cm x 23 cm (the underside). First third of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance: South African private collection.