Male shrine figure "alusi" · Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3052866
Starting price
EUR 1,500
Estimated price
EUR 3,000
Provenance
American Museum Collection, FloridaGerman Private Collection, Hamburg
Size
H: 150 cm
H: 59.1 inch
Description
wood, polychrome paint, insect caused damage, base
Figures such as these embody protective deities and were kept in the cult houses of communities and families. Once a year, they were presented in public ceremonies, thereby strengthening the relationship between the people and the deity.
Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M. & Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts, Los Angeles 1984 p. 94 f. Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Afrikanische Kunst in Deutschen Privatsammlungen, München 1973, p. 204, ill. 284 & 292