protective musical instrument - mumuyé - Nigeria
04
days
16
hours
07
minutes
40
seconds
Starting bid
€ 1
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 150 - € 200
No bids placed
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 138733 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Description from the seller
Nigeria
Mumuyé
Wood
Height: 420mm
Width: 90mm
Depth: 70mm
Fine crack on the left at hip level.
This 42 cm tall wooden sculpture is an anthropomorphic statue from the Mumuye people, an ethnic group established in the upper valley of the Benue River, in northeastern Nigeria.
Discovered late by the Western art market in the 1960s, Mumuye statuary is deeply admired for its avant-garde aesthetics, which resonated strongly with Cubist movements and European modern sculpture.
1. Stylistic Features (The Deconstructed Mumuye Aesthetic)
The crest or helmet headdress: The head is topped by a stylized sagittal crest, very geometric, a hallmark of traditional Mumuye adornments. The ears are often represented by simple discs or pierced and stretched lobes.
The cylindrical and elongated body: The trunk is carved from a single long, narrow piece of wood. The neck is long, thick and cylindrical, serving as a pivot to a deliberately disproportionate silhouette.
The motion of enveloping arms: This is the signature of Mumuye sculptors. The arms do not run down the torso but detach to form dynamic, open, circular arcs that seem to wrap around or frame the chest and abdomen before abruptly stopping.
2. Use and Meaning: The Iagalagana Figure
Among the Mumuye, these statues, generally called Iagalagana, were not fixed religious idols but versatile objects with intersecting social and spiritual functions:
Ancestor worship and protection: One of their primary functions was to serve as a receptacle for the spirit of an ancestor or protective spirit. Kept by family heads or elders in ritual huts, they protected the lineage from disease, witchcraft, and ensured clan cohesion.
Role in arbitration and justice: Iagalagana statues were regarded as infallible witnesses of truth. During important land, family or financial disputes among villagers, the object was brought out to preside over the judgment session. Opponents had to swear an oath or seal their agreement by touching the statue, the spirit’s anger being feared in case of perjury.
Healing and divination practices: Diviners and ritual healers also used these figures to diagnose mysterious ailments or to intercede with the forces of nature to bring rain during drought.
In summary, this 41.5 cm work is a superb testament to Mumuye art, blending a unique formal audacity with a role as guardian of social, judicial and spiritual order.
Packages are shipped Monday through Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in France within 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery in the rest of Europe and worldwide with Colissimo international.
We speak english
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateNigeria
Mumuyé
Wood
Height: 420mm
Width: 90mm
Depth: 70mm
Fine crack on the left at hip level.
This 42 cm tall wooden sculpture is an anthropomorphic statue from the Mumuye people, an ethnic group established in the upper valley of the Benue River, in northeastern Nigeria.
Discovered late by the Western art market in the 1960s, Mumuye statuary is deeply admired for its avant-garde aesthetics, which resonated strongly with Cubist movements and European modern sculpture.
1. Stylistic Features (The Deconstructed Mumuye Aesthetic)
The crest or helmet headdress: The head is topped by a stylized sagittal crest, very geometric, a hallmark of traditional Mumuye adornments. The ears are often represented by simple discs or pierced and stretched lobes.
The cylindrical and elongated body: The trunk is carved from a single long, narrow piece of wood. The neck is long, thick and cylindrical, serving as a pivot to a deliberately disproportionate silhouette.
The motion of enveloping arms: This is the signature of Mumuye sculptors. The arms do not run down the torso but detach to form dynamic, open, circular arcs that seem to wrap around or frame the chest and abdomen before abruptly stopping.
2. Use and Meaning: The Iagalagana Figure
Among the Mumuye, these statues, generally called Iagalagana, were not fixed religious idols but versatile objects with intersecting social and spiritual functions:
Ancestor worship and protection: One of their primary functions was to serve as a receptacle for the spirit of an ancestor or protective spirit. Kept by family heads or elders in ritual huts, they protected the lineage from disease, witchcraft, and ensured clan cohesion.
Role in arbitration and justice: Iagalagana statues were regarded as infallible witnesses of truth. During important land, family or financial disputes among villagers, the object was brought out to preside over the judgment session. Opponents had to swear an oath or seal their agreement by touching the statue, the spirit’s anger being feared in case of perjury.
Healing and divination practices: Diviners and ritual healers also used these figures to diagnose mysterious ailments or to intercede with the forces of nature to bring rain during drought.
In summary, this 41.5 cm work is a superb testament to Mumuye art, blending a unique formal audacity with a role as guardian of social, judicial and spiritual order.
Packages are shipped Monday through Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in France within 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery in the rest of Europe and worldwide with Colissimo international.
We speak english
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Indigenous object name
protective musical instrument
Ethnic group/ culture
mumuyé
Country of Origin
Nigeria
Material
Wood
Sold with stand
No
Condition
Good condition
Sold by
