Nigerian Mumuye Wood Iagalagana Figural Sculpture

West Africa, Nigeria, Mumuye people. A carved wood head set on a long cylindrical neck that rises from a domed base. The head is crowned by a tall, thin crest, and two long ear flaps hang at the sides, each pierced with a rectangular opening. A band of incised crosshatching frames the brow above round eyes, a straight nose, and a projecting mouth, with vertical scarification marks on each cheek. The surface has a weathered gray patina. Mumuye figures, known as iagalagana, served as guardians of individual and household well-being and were kept by an influential person such as a healer or diviner, who used them in rainmaking, healing, divination, and oath-taking. Item # 202976

Estimate:$300

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