Pair of figures
Nigeria, Sardauna Province, Mambila
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 27 February 2016, Lot 438Julien Flak, Paris, France (2021)
German Private Collection
Size
H: 28 cm & 30,5 cm
H: 11.0 inch & 12.0 inch
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.
Comparing literature
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, p. 317, M 22 ffPublications
AHDRC: 0182582