Pair of figures · Nigeria, Sardauna Province, Mambila · ID: 3050305
Julien Flak, Paris, France (2021)
German Private Collection
Description
wood, colour pigments, each mounted on base
The functions of these figures seem to have been manifold and have not been clearly clarified to date.
Gebauer reports that they functioned as protective figures, for example by being used to protect the family’s raffia palm grove. In this function they are said to have been called “mantab” and were supposed to use their magical powers against intruders.
Other figures of this type were supposed to embody ancestors and were placed in special ancestral shrines. They are called “tadep” and also had a protective function.
However, they are also said to have been used ritually for healing.
The object Pair of figures with the object ID 3050305 was last part of the auction 101st Auction at November 11, 2023 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 254 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,000.
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Comparing literature
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, p. 317, M 22 ff
Publications
AHDRC: 0182582