Ejagham emblem, Ngbe - Lot 99

Ejagham emblem, Ngbe Cross River, Nigeria Wood, rattan, fibers, skulls 100 x 90 cm Provenance : - Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, Paris - Private collection, Belgium Exhibition : - Paris, Magie Noire, Galerie Ratton-Hourdé, June 17 - July 29, 2009, reproduced in catalog page 27 A powerful composition combining animal skulls, a calabash and a set of pendants inside a wooden frame on a woven fiber support. This work is an emblem of the association dedicated to the worship of the leopard's guardian spirit, known as ngbe or ekpe. The skulls are those of animals sacrificed during celebrations organized to mark the founding of the ngbe lodge, while the pair of brooms in this tangle evokes those carried by high-ranking members of this society.