Standing female figure · Nigeria, Vere · ID: 3035469
Swiss Private Collection
Description
wood, blotched blackish brown patina, grooved coiffure, half-circular projecting ears with drilled holes for ornament, eyes and mouth marked by notches, slightly dam., minor missing parts (fingers, toes), cracks, paint rubbed off, metal plate;
small ethnic group, numbering about 20.000 people living in eastern Nigeria, close to the Cameroon border. Unfortunately we know, even today, nothing about the significance of their figures, at which two figure types can be distinguished: the first group shows a striking similarity to the doll figures of the Namchi on the other side of the border in Cameroon. The second type is represented by present figure, which is characterized by her hairdo, formed by parallel plaits.
Comparing literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 599