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Bronze Statue of a Juju Man, Benin, 1930s

About the Item

Statues of Juju Man or shamans were used for ceremonies connected with religious beliefs and magical practices. The general understanding of their meaning as including a supernatural or magical power of bringing good to the owner or worshipper and of working harm to those to whom he or the power represented was not well disposed, is adequate for general purposes. This statue depicts the Juju man holding a snake in each hand and having a person on his shoulder whispering a message in his ear. The numbers are the inventory numbers from Penn State University and Lehigh University. Exhibited: The Pennsylvania State University - Museum of Art permanent collection; The Lehigh University - Art Galleries permanent collection. Provenance: The collection of Dr and Mrs John E. Swanson. Dr John Swanson and his wife Marian lived from 1966 - 1981 in Lagos, Nigeria where Dr Swanson was the Advisor to the National Universities Commission and later on the Chief Planning Officer of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. During their time in Africa, the Swansons started to collect African art. In 1973 a part of their collection, circa 120 pieces went on loan to The Pennsylvania State University Museum of Art, where they remained until 1978. In 1981 Dr Swanson passed away and his wife Marian never returned to Africa. In 1982 Mrs Swanson lent 130 pieces to the Lehigh University Art Gallery where they remained until 1987. A few pieces were also lent to Lafayette College - Williams Art Center for an exhibition titled "Plainly Geometric - Selections of Art from West Africa". In 2018 Mrs Swanson passed away.
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)Width: 6.3 in (16 cm)Depth: 6.7 in (17 cm)
  • Style:
    Tribal (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Cast
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1930s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. Very heavy for a statue of this size.
  • Seller Location:
    Aramits, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU6432238767752

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