Small seated female shrine figure
Nigeria, Igbo
sold
EUR 2,000
Provenance
Max Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden (1973)Peter Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, residues paint and pigments, “ichi” scarification marks on the forehead, collection number “73944” (M. Willborg), further inscription at the nape “Bristol” and numbering, missing parts/ insect caused damage, base
Most of the Igbo figures were created to address community concerns, and most were collectively owned, if sometimes by lineages on behalf of a larger group. Most figural sculptures were housed in shrines dedicated to tutelary deities heading public cults and associated with parts of the natural world such as rivers, forests, the earth, or with days of the week and the markets held on them.
Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M., Igbo, Milan 2013, p. 92 f.Publications
AHDRC: 0170497