Shrine Figure (Ikenga)
Shrine Figure (Ikenga)
Attribution follows a published museum catalogue or peer-reviewed scholarship. Object is held in a public collection under a published accession number.
This seated figure of a man holding a cutlass and an inverted human skull is a cult object called ikenga, associated with achievement and success. Standing at the center of a man’s personal shrine, the sculpture receives prayers and sacrifices in return for the ancestors’ guidance. An elaborate headdress comprising two horn-like extensions reinforces the cult’s preoccupation with masculinity, while facial incisions known as ichi refer to membership in one of many male associations.
Catalogued by Cleveland Museum of Art as “Shrine Figure (Ikenga)”, dated possibly early 1900s. Harvested from the museum’s open-access record; every field below is copied from that record and none of it has been inferred.
Record
| People / culture | Igbo |
|---|---|
| Country | Nigeria |
| Common name | Shrine Figure (Ikenga) |
| Form category | Figure, staff, or non-mask object |
| Subject depicted | Ancestor or named individual |
| Materials | Wood, organic materials, and raffia |
| Dimensions | Overall: 74.5 x 18 x 20 cm (29 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.) |
Provenance
Jacques Kerchache, Paris, France (probably by field-collection in Nigeria (Biafra), at the end of the Nigerian Civil War, in 1968 or 1969) (1968, 1969, or 1970-2001)
Anne Kerchache, Paris, France by inheritance (2001-2010)
(Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, France, “Collection Anne et Jacques Kerchache” Lot 132 - sold June 13, 2010) (2010)
Steven Morris, New York/Michigan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (2010-2016)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2016-)
| Collection | Cleveland Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Accession number | 2015.72 |
Source
https://clevelandart.org/art/2015.72
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.