Ikenga (Shrine Figure)

Former TitleAltar figure, Ikenga

Former TitlePersonal Shrine Figure

CultureIgbo

Dateca. 1900

MediumWood and pigment

DimensionsOverall: 30 5/8 × 11 1/8 × 11 inches (77.79 × 28.26 × 27.94 cm)

Credit LineGift of Adele and Donald Hall

Object number2025.33.3

On View

Not on view

Terms

DescriptionThis male figure is seated on a stool and carries a rifle behind his back. The upper region of the headdress is decorated with seven heads, two birds, and a snake. Rams' horns jut forward from the side of the figure's head and attach to the headdresses' underside. The sword in the right hand and the spiraling elephant tusk in the left are attached to the curved forms in front of each leg. The instrument attaches to the underside of the headdress. The dynamic construction of this work is highlighted and emphasized with white, black, blue, and yellow pigment.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

African Sculpture, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., January 29-March 1, 1970; William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 21-April 26, 1970; The Brooklyn Museum, New York City, NY, May 26-June 21, 1970.

Gods of Fortune: The Cult of the Hand in Nigeria, Brooklyn Museum of Primitive Art, New York City, NY, March 6-September 8, 1974.

African Sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, 1974-1979.

African Art in Color, National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., May 18-October 16, 1983, no. 21.

Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos, The Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, October 9-November 25, 1984; The Center for African Art, New York City, NY, March 12-June 16, 1985; National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., July 31-October 13, 1985; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL, January 5-March 2, 1986; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, April 10-June 15, 1986.

Magnificent Gifts for the 75th, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, February 13-April 4, 2010.

Gallery Label

Sacred shrines dedicated to male power and individual achievement are called ikenga, and this example would have belonged to a title-holding man. Rams’ horns symbolize male aggression and determination, and the curved sword decisive action. The superstructure’s eagles and python—reigning creatures of sky and water—allude to supreme achievement in life, including military endeavors. Human trophy heads symbolize military success as well as hard-won achievement in farming or trading. European-inspired pith helmets on the trophy heads and the gun on the figure’s back may express continuing power during colonial rule.

Provenance

Acquired by Harry A. (1903-1983) and Ruth Franklin, Beverly Hills, CA, by 1970;

By descent to their daughter Valerie Bryan Franklin (1950-2020), Los Angeles, CA, 1983-1990;

Purchased from her sale, The Harry A. Franklin Family Collection of African Art, Sotheby's, New York, April 21, 1990, lot 225, by Adele (1932-2013) and Donald (1928-2024) Hall, Kansas City, MO, 1990-2024;

Their gift, through the Donald J. Hall Revocable Trust, to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2025 [1].

NOTES:

[1] Prior to being formally accessioned into the collection, the object was a promised gift made by the Hall family in 2009 in honor of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's 75th anniversary.

Published References

William Fagg, African Sculpture (Washington, D.C.: International Exhibitions Foundation, 1970), 63, #57, (repro.).

Susan Vogel, Gods of Fortune: The Cult of the Hand in Nigeria (New York: Museum of Primitive Art, 1974), pl.4 (repro.).

Roslyn A. Walker, African Art in Color: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, May 17-October 16, 1983 (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, 1983), front cover and pl.2, (repro.).

Herbert M. Cole and Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos (Los Angeles: University of California, 1984) 37, plate 4, (repro.).

Warren M. Robbins and Nancy Ingram Nooter, African Art in American Collections, Survey 1989 (Washington/London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989) 260, #684, (repro.).

Sotheby's, The Harry A. Franklin Family Collection of African Art (New York: Sotheby's, April 21, 1990), lot 225, (repro.).

Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa (London: Thames & Hudson, 1998), 93, #10, (repro.).

David A. Binkley, A Private Passion: The Donald and Adele Hall Collection of African Art (Seattle: Marquand Books, 2015), 108-109, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.