Standing figure "tadep" · Cameroon, Mambila · ID: 3039638
Dutch Private Collection, Rotterdam (1980s)
Description
wood, greyish brown patina, white and red pigment, deeply hollowed prominent eyes, cavity in the head filled with magical mass, further opening between legs (“cryptofetish”), slightly dam., minor missing parts, abrasion of paint, fine cracks, traces of humidity (feet), base;
used during healing rituals as well as being employed in casting spells to find a thief and cause him to fall ill. The culprit can then only recover if he admits his guilt and repairs the damage done. The statue was also an essential component in fertility rites. The figure definitely does not portray an ancestor. The local name of such sculptures would be “tadep”. Usually these were male-female pairs.
Comparing literature
Lebas, Alain (ed.), Arts of Nigeria in French Private Collections, Milan 2012, p. 286, ill. 181