Commemorative Figure – Wood – Tiv – Nigeria

Superb commemorative staute from the TIV people of Nigeria.
The Tivs are known for their artistic corpus related to the funerary art that surrounds the worship they devote to their ancestors.
The sculptors create on order statues often skeletal of various sizes and shapes. These pieces can be surreal, sometimes janiform.

Here, a seated figure holds in his hands a skull, representing that of the deceased ancestor.
During the worship, the family gathered in a dedicated place and proceeded to libations of animal blood and vegetable matter.

This one is distinguished by its impressive dimensions testifying at the same time of the love brought to the deceased by his family, and his means since this type of statue also has a social scope.

This beautiful statue is in a good state of conversation with clear traces of wear and tear.

Provenance: former private German collection