IDNO

P.71500.GIJ

Description

A drawing on a house wall of a “Hausa” (zebra style) cow. The drawing is outlined in white and depicts the distinctive hump of the cow, pointed horns, ears, head, three folds of skin on the neck, and long tail. There is another drawing in the room behind of a man holding a cutlass.

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; South Eastern Nigeria; near Umuahia; Uzuakoli area

Cultural Affliation

Ibo [historically Igbo]; Isu Item

Named Person

Photographer

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1930 - 1939

Collection Name

Jones collection

Source

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

It is not known which box P.71500.GIJ came from.

This negative was found in pocket 93 of the negative album now numbered C27/.

Context: Jones discusses different types of wall paintings found in Eastern Nigeria for the Ngwomo ghost houses and the Okwu wall paintings. In the Anang (Western Ibo) area they used to erect monuments for their important dead in the form of conventionalised houses. The clay wall was painted with water-colour frescoes of figures of men, women, animals and objects from everyday life. The cloth “wall” was mainly a display of a bright, gaily patterned cotton print, but in some cases a lighter-coloured cloth was used as a background against which were sewn silhouetted figures cut out of brighter-coloured cloth (Jones, 1984, p.105)

Bibliographical Reference: Jones, G.I. 1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria (Cambridge University Press)

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Alicia Fentiman 14/11/2007]