id: 282135 accession number: 2016.10 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2016.10 updated: 2021-01-05 10:03:16.014000 Face Mask (Iru mmuo), possibly early 1900s. Guinea Coast, Nigeria, Igbo people. Wood, pigment, plant fiber, and cotton; overall: 16.9 x 11 x 6 cm (6 5/8 x 4 5/16 x 2 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Kim Sherwin 2016.10 title: Face Mask (Iru mmuo) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: possibly early 1900s creation date earliest: 1900 creation date latest: 1925 current location: creditline: Gift of Kim Sherwin copyright: --- culture: Guinea Coast, Nigeria, Igbo people technique: Wood, pigment, plant fiber, and cotton department: African Art collection: African Art type: Mask find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 16.9 x 11 x 6 cm (6 5/8 x 4 5/16 x 2 3/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: Though always worn by a man, the imagery of this mask celebrates youthful female beauty. digital description: wall description: 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. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2016.10/2016.10_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2016.10/2016.10_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2016.10/2016.10_full.tif