Africa | Nigeria
Mumuye Figure
Nigeria
Iagalagana ritual figure
Early 20th century
Carved wood and pigments
Height: 67 cm – 26 ¼ in.
Provenance
Ex collection Pierre Parat, Paris
Ex collection Michel Andrault, Paris
Ex collection Alain de Monbrison, Paris, circa 1980
Ex collection Carles Taché, Barcelona
Ex private collection, Spain
Mumuye Figure 67 cm / Galerie Flak
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.
Publication
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