Mumuye anthropomorphic figure - Lot 32

Mumuye anthropomorphic figure Nigeria Carved wood and pigments Circa 20th century Height: 53 cm --- Mumuye anthropomorphic figure Nigeria Carved wood and pigments Circa 20th century Height: 53 cm The groups of sedentary farmers amalgamated under the generic name mumuye inhabit the mountainous region of northeastern Nigeria, south of the Benue River. The mumuye created figurative sculptures of great geometric abstraction. The way in which Mumuye sculptors represent the human figure is based on formal conventions that differ not only from group to group, but even within the same group. However, the sculptures all display characteristics that make their ethnic origin easily recognizable: the abstract, full-length treatment of the human body - the general allure clearly being more important than the detail of the finish -, the void between the arms and the bust, the stylized face barely emerging from broad headdresses or helmets, and their general asymmetry which is used by the sculptors as an expressive device (Herreman & Petridis, 2016, p. 31-33). They are lively, animated by movement through their proprotions, their statures, the arms detached from the lanky body, the slender bust supported by massive legs, with almost cubist musculature, accentuating the suggested rhythm. A fine example. --- The groups of sedentary farmers amalgamated under the generic name mumuye live in the mountainous region of north-eastern Nigeria, south of the Benoué river. The mumuye are at the origin of figurative sculptures of a great geometric abstraction. The way in which mumuye sculptors represent the human figure is based on formal conventions that differ not only from one group to another, but also within the same group. However, the sculptures all have characteristics that make their ethnic origin easily recognizable: the abstract treatment and all in length of the human body - the general appearance being clearly more important than the detail of the finish -, the void between arms and bust, the stylized face emerging from just wide headdresses or helmets, and their general asymmetry which is used by sculptors as an expressive device (Herreman & Petridis, 2016, p. 31-33). They are lively, the movement enlivens them through their proprotions, their statures, the arms detached from the long body, the thin bust supported by massive legs, to the almost cubist musculature, accentuating the suggested rhythm.