Ancestor effigy, Ibo People, Nigeria Original... - Lot 54 - Giquello

Lot 54
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Estimation :
20000 - 30000 EUR
Ancestor effigy, Ibo People, Nigeria Original... - Lot 54 - Giquello
Ancestor effigy, Ibo People, Nigeria Original polychrome wood H. 158 cm Ancestor effigy, Ibo, Nigeria H. 62 1/4 in Provenance: - Collection Féliçia Dialossin - Collection Régine et Guy Dulon The Ibo are a population of South-East Nigeria unified by a common language and shared cultural practices. They worship their ancestors, for whom sculptors have created some of the largest statues on the African continent. These effigies, grouped in family groups in consecrated huts, were honoured and consulted on many occasions. Their yellow, white and black polychromy was often revived, which explains the thick patina with which they are most often covered. If Ibo art can sometimes seem a little stereotypical, some sculptors, such as the master of Awka identified by Bernard de Grunne, were able to free themselves from an overly rigorous stylistic canon. The statue that we present today is also a remarkable example of the freedom that some great artists could afford. Her face is smiling and serene, her round belly indicates that she may be a parturient, the beautiful scarification and the richness of her jewellery and headdress indicate her high rank in the social scale. There are portrait intentions in this work.
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