Pair of "kundul" statuettes · Nigeria, Upper Benue, Wurkun · ID: 3046650
not available anymore
Provenance
Manfred Schäfer, Ulm, GermanySize
H: 47 cm & 54 cm
H: 18.5 inch & 21.3 inch
Description
wood, red pigment, iron, base
For “kundul” figures of the same artist see AHDRC 0101014.
The Wurkun are made up of a cluster of ethno-linguistic groups living in the Muri Mountains. Their “kundul” statues almost always appear in male/ female pairs, mounted on iron spikes, enabling the sculpture to be stuck in the ground.
They were used as protection and in divination. They were frequently washed with liquid clay, “fed” with offerings of millet beer or millet porridge and rubbed with oil which explains the thickness of the patina.