■ PAIR OF IGBO STATUS ATTRIBUTED TO THE AWKA MASTER A... Lot 47

■ PAIR OF IGBO STATUS ATTRIBUTED TO THE AWKA MASTER A COUPLE OF IGBO FIGURES ATTRIBUTED TO THE AWKA MASTER REGION OF NRI-AWKA, NIGERIA Heights: 161 and 166 cm. (63⅜¡ and 65⅜ in.) US$280,000-380,000 PROVENANCE Collection Jacques Kerchache, Paris Ana and Antonio Casanovas & Bernard de Grunne, Madrid/Brussels, 2010 Important European private collection, acquired from them EXHIBITION Maastricht, TEFAF: The European Fine Art Fair, Ana and Antonio Casanovas & Bernard de Grunne, 11 - 21 March 2010 BIBLIOGRAPHY Kerchache, J., Paudrat, J.-L. et al, L'art africain, Paris, 1988, p. 176, n° 104-105 Kerchache, J., Paudrat, J.-L. et al, Art of Africa, New York, 1993, p. 176, n° 104-105 Casanovas, A. et A. and de Grunne, B., Igbo: Monumental sculptures from Nigeria, Brussels, 2010, pp. 6, 14, 16-23, 78 Cole, H.M. and Dierking, D., Invention and Tradition: The Art of Southeastern Nigeria, New York, 2012, pp. 96-97, pl. 9-10 Cole, H.M., Igbo. Visions of Africa, Milan, 2013, pl. 15-16 Igbo statues are among the greatest sculptures in African art. Their imposing sizes, rich relief carvings and ochre, black and white paintings make them major works of Igbo art. Although regularly nicknamed "statues of ancestors", these sculptures actually represent a tutelary deity called alusi. The family link is however sometimes symbolic since the beings represented could be one of the founders of the clan and thus constitute the "father" or "mother" of the group. These statues were kept in a sanctuary dedicated to the ancestors. This place was used for weekly and annual celebrations. A common feature allows the Alusi statues to be identified: the position of the hands turned towards the sky. This attitude would evoke the generosity of the deities as well as their willingness to receive sacrifices and ofrandes. This important couple comes from the