Igbo Male and Female Terracotta Couple, Nigeria

Helen and Robert Kuhn, Los Angeles
Sotheby's, New York, November 20, 1991, lot 43, consigned by the above
Private Collection, New York, acquired at the above auction

National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Icons, Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa, October 25, 1989 - September 3, 1990

Herbert M. Cole, Icons: Ideals and Power in Art of Africa, Washington, D.C., 1989, p. 47, fig. 52
Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa, New York and London, 1998, p. 92, fig. 1

Very good condition for an object of this age, rare type, and material. Repaired crack through one side of neck extending into upper chests of both figures. Small repair to tip of coiffure and nose of male figure. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, small cracks, and chips. Small loss to bottom edge of central cylinder. Fine aged surface with remains of stain and pigment, and encrustation.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present sculpture belongs to a small extant corpus of fired terracotta figural sculpture made for Igbo shrines.  Cole (1984: 81) notes: "The shrines, and by extension their ceramic accoutrements, locate the indigenous deities and others imported from the Cross River, not far away to the east. They are placed at compound entrances, outside houses, or in domestic gardens, as well as in small sheds of their own."  Frequently appearing in male female pairs or as multiples of two, these sculptures were created by female artists, in complex designs with inventive freedom of form.  The present male and female Janus figure previously in the Kuhn collection, in which the female side is a maternity group, is one of the finest examples known.