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Source Description
This seated figure of a man holding a cutlass and an inverted human skull is a cult object called<em> ikenga</em>, 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 <em>ichi</em> refer to membership in one of many male associations.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
172586
label
Shrine Figure (Ikenga)
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
172586
contentType
sculpture
title
Shrine Figure (Ikenga)
description
This seated figure of a man holding a cutlass and an inverted human skull is a cult object called<em> ikenga</em>, 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 <em>ichi</em> refer to membership in one of many male associations.
date
possibly early 1900s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60758051
genreSpecific
Sculpture
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 74.5 x 18 x 20 cm (29 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.)
cul
Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo carver
accession
2015.72
Source extras
tec
Wood, organic materials, and raffia
tombstone
Shrine Figure (Ikenga), possibly early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Igbo carver. Wood, organic materials, and raffia; overall: 74.5 x 18 x 20 cm (29 5/16 x 7 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2015.72
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
This figure associated with achievement and success would have received prayers and sacrifices in return for the guidance of ancestors.
citations
citation
Kunsthaus Zürich, and Elsy Leuzinger. 1970. <em>Die Kunst Von Schwarz-Afrika : [Ausstellung: Kunsthaus Zürich] 31. Oktober 1970-17. Januar 1971</em>. Recklinghausen: Verlag Aurel Bongers, fig. M9.
citation
Jacques Kerchache et al., L'art africain (Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 1988), fig. 930
citation
Pierre Bergé & associés, Paris (auction house), Collection Anne & Jacques Kerchache, 13 June 2010, lot 322
citation
Meier, Prita, Raymond Aaron Silverman, Andrew W Gurstelle, and University of Michigan Museum of Art. 2012. <em>African Art and the Shape of Time</em>. Ann Arbor: Regents of the University of Michigan, pl. 9.
citation
Herbert M. Cole, Igbo (Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013), pl. 9
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 81
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "Acquisitions 2015: African Art.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 56, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 31.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 31
citation
Cole, Herbert M. <em>Igbo</em>. Milan : 5 Continents Editions, 2013.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 24, p. 26; reproduced: p. 131, pl. 9
citation
Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. <em>The language of beauty in African art. </em>2022.
citation
"The Language of Beauty in African Art."<em> Kimbell Art Museum Members' Guide</em> (March–September 2022): 2-7.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 5
creditline
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:50:28.898000
sourceId
172586
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, organic materials, and raffia
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
09f7486ba9de76a3