Mumuye statue - Lot 65

Mumuye statue Nigeria Wood H. 110 cm Provenance : - Alain Javelaud Collection; acquired by him in Douala (Cameroon) in the 1970s. Beautiful old Iagalagana statue representing a lanky figure, with a truncated cone-shaped bust, flat arms detached from the body and slightly bent, digitized hands, powerful torso and protruding navel. The legs, now missing, were probably small. The long neck supports a beautiful head with large, round eyes, wide-set ears falling on either side of the face like two rings, the top of the skull adorned with a crested headdress. The whole body is covered in a fine, crusty black patina, and numerous remnants of white clay are still present in the hollows or inside the arms. The function of Mumuye statues is not well known, but it seems that they looked after people's well-being, curing illnesses, predicting the future or bringing rain. Our example undoubtedly belongs to the oldest tradition.