Rare leather figure "ikpa woro" · Nigeria, Tiv · ID: 3046852

Name: Rare leather figure "ikpa woro"
SKU: 3046852
Availability: Discontinued

not available anymore

Provenance

Belgian Collection
Richard E. Ulevitch, La Jolla, USA
Sotheby’s Paris, 14 December 2016, Lot 73

Size

H: 71/ 81 cm

H: 71/ 31.9 inch

Description

leather, wool, metal, custom mount

Only a few of these striking figures made of leather are known (see AHDRC 0100484, 0157156, 0171493).

R.C. Abraham acquired a “leather statue” in 1931, when he was district commissioner among the Tiv, near Makurdi. The piece is now in the British Museum in London (see AHDRC 0100432) and is in the same style as the present figure.

We have no specific information on how these figures were used, but they seem to have been associated with the “biamehg” funeral ceremonies.

The object Rare leather figure “ikpa woro” with the object ID 3046852 was last part of the auction Voyage Tribal Art - Live Online Auction at May 23, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 180.

You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.