Sitting female figure with child ·  Nigeria, Idoma · ID: 3034647

Description

wood, encrusted brown patina, rectangular ornament carved on the back, elaborate coiffure with combs, scarification marks, rep. (coiffure), dam., traces of insect caused damage, small missing parts (tip of the toes, stool), cracks, slight traces of abrasion, wooden socle;
about 1800 the Idoma settled in the area where the Niger and the Benue river flow together. Their art and sacred rites were influenced by the Igala, Igbo and other ethnical groups of the Cross River area. Seated female figures with children or in state of pregnancy embody fertility, a central theme within the whole region.

Comparing literature

Neyt, Francois, The Arts of the Benue, Belgien 1985, p. 101 ff.