Ancienne figure d'autel "ikenga", 19e siècle ·  Nigéria, Igbo · ID: 3046014

Description

wood, encrusted patina, pigments, sacrificial traces, rest., base

“Ikenga”, which means “place of strength”, are storage containers for the “chi”, the life energy of a person.

A striking and rare detail of this figure are the carved heads arranged in a ring around the head of the “ikenga, in which the power of the ancestors seems to be bundled. A comparable figure can be found at the African Heritage Documentation & Research Centre (AHDRC 0093427).