A female Ibo sculpture

Estimated price  1.600 - 2.000 €

A female Ibo sculpture, Nigeria. Signs of ritual use; Certificate of origin and provenance.

"These imposing figures, from eastern Nigeria, are at the heart of Igbo belief systems, associated with tributary deities known as Alusi. Kept in shrines as a group sometimes as large as twelve, the figures were thought of as family members of the Alusi ... A priest was responsible for their care as they interceded in cases of infertility and other social disorders. While the face and torso show a high level of detailed carving, the hands and feet are defined in a schematic manner as is customary in Alusi figures from the Onitsha region. Especially characteristic are the upturned hands, as a sign of openhandedness and generosity of the deities, as well as willingness to receive offerings." Source: The Met Museum, NY

reference: Leuzinger, Elsy, and Walter Bangerter. Afrikanische Kunstwerke: Kulturen am Niger. Recklinghausen: A. Bongers, 1971.

Height: 107 cm
Weight: 4,8 kg