Figure (ekpu)
ca. 18th century - 19th century
The tall dim body rises in a procession of slow parentheses: the strong belly of a king, the fly whisk of government, the narrow manicured beard of a patriarch. The face is cool, the crack only steepens his concentration . . . He is a monument, a time marker, pacing an entire generation. Each clan had its own tall crowd of Ekpu figures representing nine, twelve, sometimes fourteen steps into the past.
Wood
37 11/16 x 5 7/8 x 4 15/16 in. (95.8 x 15 x 12.5 cm)
Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company
81.17.515