{"product_id":"ibo-igbo-white-painted-maiden-mask","title":"Ibo Igbo White Painted Maiden Mask","description":"An expressive carved wood face mask representing a spirit maiden or ancestral entity associated with the Mmwuo (Mmwo) society, Nigeria, first half of the 20th century. The mask is rendered with an elongated oval countenance coated in a traditional chalk or kaolin white slip, symbolizing purity, beauty, and the otherworldly realm of ancestral spirits. Contrasting black pigment defines the sharp, peaked coiffure, the high arched eyebrows, the framing jawline, the nose ridge, and the raised circular temple scarification (ichi or local marks). The narrow, horizontal slit apertures allow the masker vision, while the open, animated mouth displays distinct rows of serrated teeth. Asymmetrical pierced perforations appear near the forehead hairline and lower left jaw, reflecting native wear or attachment points for textiles, costumes, or crest elements. The reverse shows hollowed, gouged interior carving with deep, honey-brown handling patina, aged wear along the perimeter rim, and old attachment holes once threaded with cord.\u003cbr\u003eSize 9-1\/2 inches H \u003cbr\u003einscribed \"IBO\" to reverse.  Provenance Ex Leo Barsky Collection, Sutton Place NY, acquired at PB Eighty-Four (Parke-Bernet 84, New York), February 24, 1976 (purchased for $175.00), accompanied by photographic collector’s cataloging card bearing handwritten notations and an ink sketch of the mask. (sorry original was mislaid)","brand":"Art for Eternity","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67624402223418,"sku":"16309","price":1250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0775\/5120\/6714\/files\/100771.jpg?v=1791057372","url":"https:\/\/howardnowes.com\/products\/ibo-igbo-white-painted-maiden-mask","provider":"Art for Eternity","version":"1.0","type":"link"}