Object Name: Male shrine figure

Culture: Urhobo peoples

Place of Origin:  Nigeria

Medium/Materials: Wood and pigment

Dimensions: H: 122 cm (48 in)

Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Museum Purchase.

Accession Number: X64.999

This eye-catching figure depicts a seated male wearing an unusually elaborate crown. His red–presumably coral–accessories present a striking contrast with his body and stool, which are painted a pale green. Peoples throughout the region associate coral with water and wealth, ans the Urhobo further associate it with the court of Benin. Reportedly found near Benin City, this figure dates from about 1879.

Source: Anderson, Martha G. and Peek, Philip M. ed. (2002): “Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta”? Los Angeles, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. page 129