Africa | Nigeria
Mumuye Figure
Nigeria
Iagalagana figure
Carved wood and pigments
Early 20th century
Height: 23 ¾ in. (60 cm)
Ex Galerie Khepri, collection Van Rijn, Amsterdam circa 1970
Ex Sotheby’s Amsterdam, 1987
Ex collection Euwe, Amsterdam
Ex collection Serge Schoffel, Brussels
Yale University Art Gallery – The Yale-van Rijn Archive of African Art #0050743
Published: Nigeria, Masters of Movement
Mumuye figure crest 60cm/ www.galerieflak.com
Price on request
The Mumuye live in the foothills of the Shebshi Mountains near the banks of the Benue in eastern Nigeria. This agrarian people is comprised of three different dialectal groups, and was long unknown to Westerners, who discovered their art only in the late 1960s.
The Mumuye used sculptures called Iagalagana in different rituals: the figures played a central role in ancestor worship and in curing ceremonies. They served as intercessors between the spirit world and that of men, and served as proof of the high status of the family that owned them.
The Mumuye used sculptures called Iagalagana in different rituals: the figures played a central role in ancestor worship and in curing ceremonies. They served as intercessors between the spirit world and that of men, and served as proof of the high status of the family that owned them.
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