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Female Figure (Ntkekpe)

A work made of terracotta and iron.

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  • A work made of terracotta and iron.

Date:

Mid–20th century

Artist:

Igbo
Wawa or vicinity, Nigeria
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Among the Igbo, women are typically responsible for making pottery and other ceramic sculpture. Terracotta figures like this example would have been part of a shrine or placed in a domestic garden or at the entrance of a compound. The figure is seated on a traditional three-tiered Igbo stool and wears anklets, bracelets, and thick coils of waist beads, all indicators of her high status and wealth.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Igbo

Title

Female Figure (Ntkekpe)

Place

Nigeria (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1925–1975

Medium

Terracotta and iron

Dimensions

73.7 × 45.7 × 33 cm (29 × 18 × 13 in.)

Credit Line

Samuel P. Avery Endowment and Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

2003.84

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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