This ithyphallic statue truly of ancient or even archaic style, representing a male figure standing on short legs, the hypertrophied torso framed by the arms, the hands placed in front of the abdomen, the cylindrical neck supporting a highly stylized head, the face treated on a single convex plane, the earlobes distended, the eyes indicated by two tapestry nails.

Beautiful patina of use and traces of old erosions.

A powerful sculpture, this rare statue belongs to the nuclear style of the Jukun of the Northeast.

According to Arnold Rubin's research (Cf. A. Rubin, "The Arts of the Jukun-Speaking Peoples of Nothern Nigeria," Ph. D. Dissertation Indiana University, Bloomington, 1969, p. 81 - 83), these figures embody the spirits of the original ancestors, the deceased chiefs, their wives and their retinue. Related to the cult of fertility "man".

Origin : 

• Purchased by Mr. Gélinet (known as Marcabru) at the end of 1970 from Felicia, whose gallery was across the street from Majestic's on rue Gunégaud. felicia worked a lot with Edward Kiejman, a personal friend who traveled around Nigeria in particular and discovered the Mumuyé, among others.
• Former Helmut Zake collection
• Former Luc Berthier collection
• Former M. Gélinet collection, Paris

And also : 

This example resembles a group of seven statues discovered by Rubin (op. cit., 1969, figure 131) in a cave near the village of Gwana that represented ancestors associated with the abandoned village of Gaterie.