Carved from a single block of dense, medium-grained hardwood, this anthropomorphic vessel exemplifies the sculptural idiom of the Koro people inhabiting the Middle Benue Valley of central Nigeria. Known traditionally as a Gbene, such sculptures represent a synthesis of ancestral figuration and ritual utility, functioning as sacred receptacles for pouring and consuming palm wine or millet beer during secondary funerary rites and agrarian ceremonies. The composition is dominated by a disciplined, proto-cubist geometry, beginning with an elongated cylindrical neck supporting a hemispherical, helmet-like head surmounted by a sharp sagittal crest. Below, the planar torso extends into broad, rectilinear shoulders and slender, pendant arms that flank a pronounced ovoid cavity hollowed directly into the abdomen, transforming the core of the figure into a functional libation receptacle. Both front and reverse surfaces are embellished with precise geometric chip-carving - featuring cross-hatched lozenges across the chest and a raised, scale-like dorsal ridge running down the spine - with original deposits of white kaolin pigment highlighting the incisions. Anchored by truncated, bent legs resting on squared block feet, the sculpture displays a dry, oxidized reddish-brown surface with natural age-induced drying fissures and subtle contact wear along the edges, testifying to its traditional craftsmanship and preserved structural integrity. PROVENANCE Private collection, Germany. Thence by descent to the present owner.