Early shrine figure "ikenga", 19th century · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3052645
Starting price
EUR 4,500
Estimated price
EUR 9,000
Provenance
British CollectionGerman Private Collection
Dorotheum, Vienna, Austria, 4 December 2018, lot 81
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Germany, 16 November 2019, lot 197
Size
H: 66 cm
H: 26.0 inch
Description
wood, pigments, sacrificial traces, rest., base
Ikenga (= “Place of Strength”) symbolizes the Igbo adult male’s aggressiveness and drive to achievement and success in all areas of life. Before undertaking a venture requiring economic skills or physical prowess the owner makes sacrificial offerings to the “ikenga”. This act of worship assures him the power to accomplish his goal.
A striking and rare feature of this figure is the carved heads that encircle the main head of the “ikenga”. They appear to concentrate the power of the ancestors. For a comparable figure, see AHDRC 0093427.