Figure

Even though we don’t fully know (yet) what ethnic group this Nigerian figure comes from, or what precise ritual function it fulfilled, we can appreciate its power and beauty. A man holds badges of authority: a fan and a staff or tusk. His face is white after repeated ritual application of pigment, and he wears a necklace of valuable cowrie shells that have become brown over time. He is seated on a simple stool, sculpted on top of an elaborately carved stool that is supported by small figures. The surface of the entire sculpture has a crust formed by decades of ritual offerings.