Seated Figure

Accession Number
1983/2.175

Title
Seated Figure

Artist(s)

Object Creation Date
circa 1950

Medium & Support
terracotta

Dimensions
9 3/8 in x 5 7/16 in x 4 13/16 in (23.8 cm x 13.8 cm x 12.3 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Pinsof

Subject matter
Ntekpe, or ‘children of the shrine’, are figures placed in Igbo family shrines by women dealing with infertility. Within this context, the figure becomes both an offering and a display of the desire for children. Usually made by older women, these figures often feature a single mother and child or a male and female pair. It is possible this figure was at one time part of a pair, now separated from its female counterpart. Further research is needed to understand other meanings or uses for this figure.

References Cited:
Cole, Herbert M. and Chike C. Aniakor. 1984. Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
LaGamma, Alisa. 2000. "Art and Oracle: Spirit Voices of Africa." African Arts 33.1: 52-69.
LaGamma, Alisa and John Pemberton. 2000. Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Physical Description
Seated male figure on a stool, holding a gun or rifle in one hand. 

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
figure

Collection Area
African

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Figures
deities
men (male humans)
nudes
rifle
seated
shrines (structures)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted