AN IBO CULT FIGURE, ikenga, seated holding a knife in one hand and a severed head in the other, the tall scrolled horns above the head flanked by a dog and a chicken, the forehead with ichi scarification and similar panel on the chest, painted in ochre, brown and white, damages, Awka area

Details

AN IBO CULT FIGURE, ikenga, seated holding a knife in one hand and a severed head in the other, the tall scrolled horns above the head flanked by a dog and a chicken, the forehead with ichi scarification and similar panel on the chest, painted in ochre, brown and white, damages, Awka area
64cm. high

Provenance

Dr G.I. Jones

Lot Essay

Cole and Aniakor (1984, pp.24-32) give an account of the variety and symbolism of the figures used for the cult of ikenga. Their observations draw upon information given to them by both G. I. Jones and John Boston (1977): they illustrate a similar figure in the Fowler Museum (UCLA MCH X65-3807, p.27, fig.45) which is also a shrine figure for an Ozo-titled man (as shown by the forehead scarification and other paraphernalia).

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