260223 - Rare terracotta Dakakari sculpture - Nigeria
€245.00
Rare terracotta Dakakari sculpture - Nigeria
This sculpture are 31 cm in height.
This Dakakari sculpture was collected in my private collection in 1991.
The Dakakari, living in northwestern Nigeria, made clay sculptures that they placed on their graves. It was customary to seal the graves with clay slabs.
For dignitaries, more elaborate sculptures allowed them to identify the locations for contemplation. The themes depicted are usually the same among the Dakakari: the rider and his horse, animals such as the hyene or the camel, and sometimes a nude figure, "the companion of the deceased in the afterlife." The working style can sometimes vary by region, depending on the clay used or the firing techniques. Dakakari graves are distinguished by figurative and non-figurative pots, as well as by usable containers. Upon the death of a new family member, a sculpture or ceramic pot is added to the pottery objects marking the grave site. Bright orange engobe. Very good condition.