80 - Very old pair of statues

Very old pair of statues featuring standing ancestors, forearms raised, palms facing the sky, forming receptacles for offerings. Their expressive faces are adorned with scarification marks at the temples and around the lips. The man wears a traditional hat, while the woman wears a headdress composed of several braids arranged backwards, creating deep furrows. Copper ornaments surround their waists and necks. Wood with old differentiated patina, sacrificial splash marks of yellow and white ochre pigments, metallic inlays. Chipping and missing wood on one hand. Igbo, Nigeria 133 × 23 cm and 134 × 24 cm Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert Collection, Paris In Igbo society, ancestors play a central role as intermediaries between the living and the divine world. Offerings are made to ensure their benevolence, guaranteeing prosperity and protection for the community. These statues were probably placed in sanctuaries or dedicated altars, serving as spiritual pillars during ritual ceremonies.