Seated figure "ikenga" ·  Nigeria, Igbo · ID: 3036456

Description

light brown wood, matt patina, massive body, holding items in his hands, ram horns, big revealed teeth, rest. (left horn), missing parts through insect caused damage (base), cracks,base;
“ikenga” figures are carved on the occasion of the foundation of a house because they symbolize strength and protection. When their owner died the figures were destroyed. The horns are the most important part of the figure, they are related to the god of thunder. “Ikenga” figures are formed variable, they can be carved naturalistic or abstract.

The object Seated figure “ikenga” with the object ID 3036456 was last part of the auction 76th tribal art auction at March 22, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 451.

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.