Iphri shrine

Urhobo artist

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 343

The assertive quality of an iphri force may be cultivated and harnessed by directing prayers and offerings to a personal shrine. The essential visual component of such an altar, prescribed by a diviner to those seeking advantage in conflict, is a four-legged beast with a gaping maw. The dominant human protagonist represents the patron’s spirit double. He is surrounded by a cluster of subsidiary figures under his authority, two of which he grasps in his clenched fists.

Iphri shrine, Urhobo artist, Wood, iron nails, pigment, Urhobo peoples

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