Mask. Nigeria, mid-20th century.

Mask "Agbogho Mmuo (Mmanwu)"; Ibo, Nigeria, mid-20th century.
Carved and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 53 cm (height).
It is accompanied by stand.
The presented mask becomes the most known type of Ibo mask, which has led to stylistic variants in all Ibo regions. It is the representation of the spirit of "the young girl", a type of mask that can also represent an older married sister or, equally, a mother. These distinctions are not seen in the mask itself, but in the details of their clothing, the objects they carry in their hands and, of course, in their behavior. The garments of the "young girls" present, mainly, small conical and very pointed breasts, while the figure of the older sister, who has had children, will be distinguished by flat and sagging breasts. The typical clothing of this masked figure is a cotton dress on which are sewn applications of wool or cotton velvet, all made using bright colors. The dances of these spirits are exaggerated as they are often performed by particularly large and athletic men. Inspired by those of the dances of young girls, they are much more violent, powerful and audacious, while still having caricatured aspects.
As for the mask itself, it is made of carved wood and richly polychrome. Within the typology of "the young girls", we are well acquainted with the examples of simple crests, not perforated, and it is possible that, at another time, two smaller lateral crests were added, but probably never perforated, devoid of the exceptional finesse of the sculpted versions.
This time it is a mask with pierced eyes and respects the tradition of the masks of the north of the Ibo country. The face has a pointed nose, almond-shaped eyes and a wide mouth with scarifications painted on its corners, which accentuate its smile. It has a vertical tattoo, also painted, that marks the forehead, as well as four small circular tattoos adorning the icebergs. The hairstyle, black and with free side braids, is topped with three crests or combs on ringlets. The hairstyle as a whole is pierced, which produces an impression of lightness and grace despite its volume.
The Ibo people are a people of farmers and traders, numbering ten or even twelve million inhabitants, making them one of the most heavily populated regions of West Africa. Their religious customs include worshipping nature and personifying the essential aspects of the outside world in the form of relatively accessible divinities. Among the spiritual entities a superior being or "great god" called Chukwu is distinguished, also considered as Creator under the name of Chineke. The main tutelary divinity is the earth Ane or Ala, from which the traditions that impose the moral law are drawn. The most important Ibo artistic institutions are linked to the production of masks for their cults. The sculpted figures of the main cults, such as the masks of the different regions, give an essential place to the family, understood as the basic social cell. There is a pair of masks, male and female, idealized by each different regional style.
Consisting of both elaborate costumes, a rich ensemble of musicians and complicated dance steps, the masquerade constitutes, essentially, an art of the spectacle which is sustained by the interaction of the bearers and the public, in favor of the fluid relations which can be linked in the space where the masquerades take place.
The mask itself is the removable element that synthesizes the personality of the evoked spirit, since all Ibo masks are perceived as the manifestation of more or less powerful spirits. In almost all cases, wearing the mask is an exclusively male prerogative, although women can help in the preparation of the costumes. On the other hand, the presence of women among a captivated and active public in supporting the participants in the masquerade is essential. A large number of masks pay homage to women and embody female characters and the characteristics of these female spirits, as well as the behavior of male spirits masquerading as women of the community, are extremely revealing of the observation to which they are subjected by Ibo men. Women are idealized, particularly unmarried women. In contrast to the work and grace of the female masks, the male masks are dark, heavy and often deformed, being most of the time representations of power.