Spirit Statue
- Spirit Statue
- [Male Figure]
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Nigeria's Urhobo people create complex art, made not to please human eyes but to appear beautiful to the spirit world. This figure of a warrior wears a gourd containing medicines that have magical powers, strong protection necessary for victory. Massive arm and leg ornaments adorn his body.
The Urhobo live in southern Nigeria, on the western edge of the Niger River delta. Their most important cult is dedicated to ancestors who are represented as mythical warriors of powerful spirits. The fierce attitude and commanding physique of this warrior exemplify the Urhobo view that these beings are capable of protecting the community from attack and evil spirits. This monumental sculpture is exceptional for its strong yet elegant proportions, state of preservation, and fearsome guardianship. It was worshipped in a sanctuary and usually kept hidden from public view.
ProvenancePrivate collection, before 1997; [Johann Levy Art Primitif, Paris, 1997–2010]; purchased by MFAH, 2010.
Exhibition History"Corps sublimes," Musée Dapper, Paris, 1994.
"The Language of Beauty in African Art," Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, April 3–July 31, 2022.
Published References "Corps sublimes," Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau, Musée Dapper, 1994, p. 186. "Le Monde de L'Art Tribal," Tribal Arts, Winter 1997, p. 53, Fig. 2.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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