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The Collector(s) / Donor(s) Simon Ottenberg is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Washington. Having studied anthropology at Northwestern University with the famous Africanist Melville Herskovits, he began working in Africa in the early 1950s.His early research focused on various aspects of the Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria, especially the peoples living in and around the town of Afikpo. In the late 1970s he shifted his research focus to northern Sierra Leone and the Limba people. In addition to his work in anthropology he has been a major contributor to the study of African art. He recently curated an exhibition and wrote a book dealing with a number of artists affiliated with the School of Fine Arts at the Nsukka campus of the University of Nigeria in southeast Nigeria. Since the early 1970s he has been an avid collector of African art. Professor Ottenberg donated a considerable portion of his collection to Michigan State University in 1992. Collector(s) / Donor(s) Statement The Object(s) This sculpture depicts two female figures standing side by side. Very little is known about this particular piece. Ottenberg purchased it from the African art dealer, Jeremiah Cole in Seattle in 1985. The figure has no provenance and it is therefore difficult to say for sure where it is from. Based solely on stylistic grounds, it may have been produced by a Limba or Mende carver in Sierra Leone. It is interesting to note that double figures like this one are very rare in Sierra Leone. Since this type of sculpture has not been studied by anthropologists or art historians little can be said about it. Since there is a tradition of carving images of twins in this area, one could hazard the guess, and it is only an educated guess, that the figures might represent twins. Further Information Books and Articles none Internet Resources none
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