Chamba Statue, Nigeria

Statue showing a character with a long cylindrical body. The legs are bent and rest on massive feet. The shoulders are forward, the arms are stuck to the body with the elbows back and end with hands placed between the navel and the sex. The face bears scarifications of three vertical lines on the cheeks. The mouth is half-open and the nose is suggested by a protruding nasal ridge. The ears are represented by chevrons that echo the angles of the arms and legs. The globular eyes pierced with small holes give an intense look to this figure. The female sex is suggested by small notches but, note the absence of breasts, only the nipples are represented. Is this an androgynous figure? It is difficult to be certain with the functions and representations of the Chamba and more generally of the peoples inhabiting the middle course of the Benue. We know very little about these representations. They are protective spirits placed in houses. We do not know if these are ancestors or spirits in human form.
Wood (cracks) with crusty patina.
Height: 35.5 cm
Chamba people, middle course of the Benue, Nigeria
First half of the 20th century.
Provenance: Norbert Boutet collection