IDNO

T.170105.GIJ

Description

The interior of an Obu House with four wooden Obu house figures. The figures are all painted in white and darker colour pigments. From left to right:
The first figure depicts a male standing in a frontal position. The figure is painted white with darker colours. He is wearing a rounded hat with a rim, stylised facial features, elongated torso and adorned with a woven cloth around the waist. He is holding a gun? in one hand.
The second figure depicts a female and she is standing in a frontal position and holding a bowl or calabash in one hand. She has an elaborate cone-like hairstyle with a rounded top, a stylised face, a long torso with etched scarification markings down the centre of the body and two geometric square patterns around the umbilicus; she is wearing a cloth wrapper around the waist
The third figure depicts a male and he is wearing a rounded hat, sitting on a stool an holding an umbrella or parasol. The head is rounded and the face is stylised; his torso is painted in stripes, and he is wearing a wrapper around the waist.
The fourth figure appears to be kneeling and is carrying a rounded tray on his head with two carved heads ad a bird. The head is round and with almond shaped eyes, nose and large lips,torso of the figure is painted in light and dark stripes. He is holding a lead and an animal, probably a dog? is carved with a rounded, spiralled tail. The figures are “framed” by two decorated walls? or columns? on either side. The interior of the room is decorated and painted. [Description from record P.71856.GIJ, PB 22/09/2023]

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; South Eastern Nigeria; Cross River

Cultural Affliation

Igbo [historically Ibo]; Abiriba

Named Person

Photographer

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

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1930 - 1939; 19894

Collection Name

Jones Collection

Source

Format

Colour Transparency

Primary Documentation

Other Information

T.169937.GIJ - T.170148.GIJ were located together in a Agfa transparency box, now numbered C756/.