Figure anthropomorphe "jagana" ·  Nigéria, Mumuye · ID: 3051681

Description

wood, pigments, base

Sculptors in Nigeria’s Benue River Valley created such bold interpretations of the human form in a multitude of variations.

Although the role such works originally played is undocumented, and therefore remains unclear, the primary one that has been attributed
to them is as an oracle. Mumuye sculptural works, which range in scale from 20 to 160 centimeters, appear to have been deployed for a variety of needs, including divination, healing, and protection.

The figures enhanced the influence and reputations of leaders
and religious specialists in Mumuye society by furthering their efforts to predict the future, heal the sick, and make rain fall (according to Arnold Rubin).

L’objet Figure anthropomorphe “jagana” avec l’ID d’objet 3051681 a fait partie de la vente aux enchères Vente aux enchères 104 dans 12 avril 2025. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 247 a atteint un prix de vente de 3 700 € pour un prix d’adjudication de 2 500 €.

Vous trouverez d’autres Figures et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art africain pourrait également vous intéresser.

Littérature comparée

Rubin, Arnold, in: For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, ed. Susan M. Vogel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1981), p. 155.