MUMUYE Statue, Nigeria

ETHNICITY: MUMUYE COUNTRY: NIGERIA MATERIALS: Wood DIMENSIONS: H 56 cm ESTIMATED DATING: 1960 PROVENANCE personal collection The Mumuye live in the North East of Nigeria, in a region between the Benue bend and the Cameroonian border, they are neighbors of the Montol. The sculptors' freedom of expression is reflected in the variety of styles of these figures always constructed in three volumes, head, bust and legs. More or less static as in dance movement, these sculptures are always recognizable by their hieratic attitude. This one, with a head reminiscent of a turtle under a helmet with long ears, seems to be looking at the sky. It is a very beautiful plastic solution, an old sculpture with a greasy brown patina of use.