Igbo optical effect door, Nigeria - Lot 114

Lot n° 114
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Estimation :
600 - 800 EUR
Igbo optical effect door, Nigeria - Lot 114
Igbo optical effect door, Nigeria Early 20th century Wood H. 126 cm; L. 38.5 cm Bibliography : Neaher, Nancy C. "Igbo Carved Doors." African Arts, vol. 15, no. 1, 1981. "Boundaries between inside and outside, familiar and unfamiliar, sanctuary and outer world", Igbo mgbo ezi carved doors are a form of architecture filled with symbolism and spirituality. Through complex iconographic references, these doors help to define and make visible the spiritual ideal of a home. Decorated with diamond-shaped carvings, a formal simplification of the kola bowl associated with hospitality, this door testifies to the status of the master of the house. Like a carnal envelope, these doors guarantee symbolic protection of the domestic space. The abstraction and ornamental symmetry of these mgbo ezi, with their strong visual impact, are similar in every way to the male scarification practice itchi, as well as to the decorative painting custom uli, reserved for women. As part of initiation rites, these marks testify to special status in society and embody protective powers. Borrowing from the aesthetics of these symbolically-charged bodily alterations, the carved doors act as a "great living body embodying the ideal order of things".
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