Click on a name to see a enlarged picture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The doors below have been sold and are left here for reference and educational purposes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photographs © Tim Hamill
IGBO, DOORS, Nigeria
These intricately carved doors show the flair for abstraction of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Carved of a sacred hardwood, iroko, for major patrons, they served as entrance portals to an obi, the male meeting house. Iroko wood is associated with males, power and certain mysteries. The tree's spirit is ritually placated before felling. The large planks were extremely difficult to cut from the dense wood of the iroko tree. The doors are distinguished by the careful chip carving into V-shaped grooves and the contrasts of plain with densely carved areas. Our collection of 20 doors plus two side panels is exceptional with most showing complex patterns and generations of slow weathering.
RETURN TO AFRICAN DOOR EXHIBITION PAGE
GO TO IGBO IKENGA FIGURES PAGE
GO TO IGBO IKENGA SHRINE FIGURES PAGE
Index by |
Index by |
