Altar to the hand (ikenga)

At first glance, the spiraling superstructure of this ikenga, or “altar to the hand,” seems delicate and fanciful. Upon closer inspection, however, the different elements all celebrate aggression. The sculptor carved a man sitting with spine straight, head held erect, his mouth stretched into a grimace. The intertwining snakes, rams’ heads, bats, and leopard above his head allude to qualities of stealth, perseverance, and stubbornness that are valued for helping a man succeed. An ikenga celebrates a man’s accomplishments thus far in life. The sculpture is both a monument to what its owner has achieved through the work of his own hands and a site that facilitates prayer and sacrifice to ensure his future accomplishments. The solidity of the powerful seated figure contrasts with the empty central axis of the animals whirling above.

The daring composition was devised by an experienced artist working around 1910 in the village of Oromo Etiti Anam. The size of the sculpture suggests that it was commissioned by a highly successful man living in an Igbo-speaking village or town in eastern Nigeria. The diagonal lines on the man’s forehead are a mark of leadership in the Ozo organization, a group of spiritual leaders. Men of all stations in life could own an ikenga. More modest examples may incorporate only a suggestion of rams’ horns on top of an abstract cylindrical form, and would have been kept in the owner’s home. A masterfully carved piece like this one, however, may have been kept in a community shrine. The sculpture suffered some damage—and repair—on its journey. The hand holding an ivory trumpet, the right arm and dagger, and the right foot were added to the sculpture between 1977 and its donation to the MFA in 1994, likely by a dealer or prior owner.