Couple de figures
Nigéria, Province de Sardauna, Mambila
Vendu
1 000 €
Provenance
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 27 February 2016, Lot 438Julien Flak, Paris, France (2021)
German Private Collection
Taille
H: 28 cm & 30,5 cm
H: 11.0 inch & 12.0 inch
Description
wood, colour pigments, each mounted on base
The functions of these figures seem to have been manifold and have not been clearly clarified to date.
Gebauer reports that they functioned as protective figures, for example by being used to protect the family’s raffia palm grove. In this function they are said to have been called “mantab” and were supposed to use their magical powers against intruders.
Other figures of this type were supposed to embody ancestors and were placed in special ancestral shrines. They are called “tadep” and also had a protective function.
However, they are also said to have been used ritually for healing.
Littérature comparée
Gebauer, Paul, Art of Cameroon, New York 1979, p. 317, M 22 ffPublications
AHDRC: 0182582