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Colorful Tiv Mask with Superstructure 21″ – Nigeria – African Art

$297.50

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This Tiv mask features a man on top holding a giant snake that is wrapped around his body. Masks like this are used during the annual Kwagh-Hir festival. This particular mask measures 21 inches tall and weighs 2 pounds. There is some chipping around the back of the mask and minor cracking, scuffing and wear and tear throughout – please inspect photos. Stand not included.

Type of Object

Face Mask

Country of Origin

Nigeria

Ethnicity

Tiv

Animal

Material

Wood, Pigment

Approximate Age

Unknown

Height (Inches)

21"

Width (Inches)

11.25"

Depth (Inches)

5"

Weight (Pounds)

2 lbs

Overall Condition

Some cracking, chipping and general wear and tear throughout.

Tribe Information

About the Tiv people

“The 1,000,000 Tiv people live from farming fields on the left bank of the Benue River and take their name from their eponymous ancestor. They carve figures which are either large and elongated or naturally proportioned with round heads and occasionally scarification at the corners of the mouth and a crested coiffure. Some of these figures were used as posts for reception huts, while others, called Ihambe, are to linked to the concept of fecundity and marriage. Tiv blacksmiths have achieved notoriety for their ‘prestige’ adzes in which the handle ends in a stylized human head with a blade sprouting from it. These are used during festivities and important meetings. Their metal output also includes small copper figures with splayed legs and rounded heads”

Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Additional Information

About the Kwagh-Hir

Kwagh-hir is a performance with different types of masks for different types of plays, meaning different things with a combination of storytelling, poetry, puppetry, music, dance and drama. Kwagh-hir translates to ‘something magical’. There are four different categories; the musicians, the management, sculptors and performers.