Igbo male ancestor figure, Nigeria Polychrome... - Lot 6 - Giquello

Lot 6
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Estimation :
4000 - 6000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 5 850EUR
Igbo male ancestor figure, Nigeria Polychrome... - Lot 6 - Giquello
Igbo male ancestor figure, Nigeria Polychrome wood H. 124 cm Igbo ancestor figure, Nigeria H. 48 3/4 in The Igbos form an important ethnic group occupying a vast area of southeastern Nigeria on both sides of the Niger River. Igbo society has a clan organization, with each clan claiming a common ancestor, which ensures the cohesion of the group and whose meetings allow for the discussion and solution of community problems. Igbo shrines, places of palaver and ceremony, were decorated with intricately carved wooden panels and doors. The large alusi statues, most often grouped in a family pattern - husband, wives and children - recalled the presence of the great founding ancestors of the clan. They were honored according to their importance, dressed for certain ceremonies and always carefully maintained. According to Cole and Aniakor (Igbo arts, community and cosmos, UCLA, 1984), the most monumental Igbo sculptures have been found in the communities of the Cross River region in eastern Igbo country. The male ancestor, an atlas of a shrine pillar, is depicted standing with his arms at his waist, in the classic attitude of ancestral representations in this region. His body in the round is treated with power, and his abdomen and face are adorned with the customary scarifications of the clan. The thickness of its polychromy, in traditional colors, testifies to the attention paid by the igbos to this work.
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