Kalabari Ijo
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa
Figure Screen (Duein Fubara)
INV-1851
Kalabari Ijo
Nigeria
Coastal West AfricaEarly 20th century
Figure Screen (Duein Fubara)
Kalabari Ijo Nigeria Coastal West Africa →ijoArts of Africakalabariafrican Artscreenarts of Africa
Date
Early 20th century
Medium
Wood, pigment, and fiber
Dimensions
75 × 68 × 18.5 cm (29 1/2 × 26 3/4 × 7 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Joanne M. and Clarence E. Spanjer Fund; purchased with funds provided by of Cynthia and Terry E. Perucca, Marshall Field V, and Lynn and Allen Turner funds; Mr. and Mrs. David B. Ross Endowment; Alsdorf Foundation
Figure screens were made by the Kalabari to honor, memorialize, and communicate with deceased leaders of their trading or canoe houses. One would have formed part of an altar in a side room of a meetinghouse. Originating in the 19th century, when European commerce flourished in the Niger Delta, these screens may have been inspired by early portrait photographs. Here, the central figure representing the house leader wears a British top hat.
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