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:			

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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: 

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CREATORS

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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:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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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.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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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