Cleveland Museum of Art

Face Mask (Agboho mmuo)

Date

possibly early 1900s

Medium

Wood, pigment, plant fiber, and cotton

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This small face mask would have been complemented by a separate, elaborate superstructure covered with cotton cloth. Though always worn by a man, the image glorifies youthful female beauty. Derived from chalky clay, the white coloration of the face refers to ancestral spirits whose powers the mask evokes. The masks dance in festivals that generally celebrate the dead but also appear at funerals to escort the deceased to the land of the ancestors. Though always worn by a man, the imagery of this mask celebrates youthful female beauty.

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