Tall 20th C. African Ijo Wood Bush Spirit, ex-Sotheby's

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 4, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-06-04 10:00:00 2020-06-04 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-5185
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• Lot Description
  West Africa, Nigeria, Cross River region, Ijo people, ca. first half of the 20th century CE. An incredible example of a hand-carved wooden bush spirit that stands with delineated legs atop an integral oblong plinth. The figure wears a cloth skirt with an upper fringe lined with cowrie snail shells, wears a red-dyed necklace with additional cowrie shells, and grasps a painted iron 'blade' in his hands. The nasal bridge extends up from the triangular nose and bisects the protruding, glass-inlaid eyes, and the elongated head is topped with an orange-red, black, and white hat with a short brim. Size: 7.5" W x 37.25" H (19 cm x 94.6 cm); 40.25" H (102.2 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The Ijo live all along the coast of the Niger River Delta. According to Anderson (in Anderson and Peek 2002: 91), "ethnographic record confirms that the Ijo and their closest neighbors - including the Isoko, Itsekiri, and Urhobo - were warlike peoples." As a result, much of Ijo statuary revolves around the theme of mythical warfare and warriors. And Anderson (loc. Cit.: 105) continues: the "Ijo hold that human beings befriend, marry, and even bear children with nature spirits while awaiting birth in the creator's realm."
  
  For an example of a seven-headed bush spirit figure, please see the de Young / Legion of Honor Museum, museum number 2004.93
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Sotheby’s, New York "The Collection of Allan Stone: African, Oceanic, and Indonesian Art – Volume One" (November 15, 2013, lot 77); ex-Allan Stone collection, New York, USA
  
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  #156037

  Condition

  Bending to iron blade, with losses to areas of base, skirt, body, and head, fading and abrasions to original pigment, several stable fissures, desiccation and minor insect damage to skirt, and minor encrustations within some recessed areas. Great patina and light remains of pigment throughout.
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