African Ibeji idol?

Hi all,
Has anyone got a clue as to the geographical origins of this wooden statue depicting what looks like a tribal African idol/deity?
There are the so-called Ibeji idols (of Nigeria) who look a bit like this carving. As for the age of it I really can't tell, it could be recent or rather old. It could even not be African but hail from Oceania or some place. It stands like 20 cm tall. Thanks so much in advance for your guess work!
Marcian

 

Hola, and welcome to Earth, Marcian. Plenty of brainiacs in African/tribal goods here: they'll be along.

 

Could you take some well lit pictures. Your camera was struggling to find enough light which is shown in the lack of contrast and grey fuzziness and the shot against the light is just a silhouette.

Also best to avoid complex backgrounds, a plain neutral colour is most effective.

 

whatever it is , it's not Ibeji, or old or valuable.......imo.

two nice Ibeji dolls..

 

Thanks Afantiques for your answer! Truth is I used a mobile phone camera to take the shots. I hope these latest shots are better. Anyway, I've got no clue whatsoever whether this wood statue is indeed a tribal, artsy one or rather some kind of more artisanal something. It's not very chiseled though so perhaps not that old.
Thanks again,
M.

 

I thought so too. Thanks for your nice pics.

 

I haven't a clue to its origins; however, here are the pics rotated, cropped and brighten for better viewing. Hey, he was really chopped off at the knees. With hair made into a loop, it could be worn around the neck as possibly a talisman. Hmmm... that not really the word I wanted for a talisman is made of metal. Anyways some sort of religious charm, good luck???

--- Susan

 

Hi Susan!

Thanks so much for brightening the pic!
It looks so much better now. Strange, what you are saying here is exactly what I think of this statue. The hook/ring attached on its head is quite large so the hair hypothesis makes sense. (think of the kind of hair that some Rastas sport, though on a second thought I don't think that this is the case as they camouflage it in their knitted woollen caps)
Anyway, if not talisman then perhaps, fetish?
W.B. Seabrook is using this term for such statues (I dare say not objects) in his 1931 seminal book 'Jungle ways'.
FETISH: an inanimate object worshipped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit.
synonyms: juju, talisman, charm, amulet.

 

One way to distinguish airport art from tribally made and used fetish objects is the prominent genitals, male and female, and large breasts, often pendulous of the village originals, as the essence was usually fertility.

Ancestor figures may not be so sexual but always include some form of relic holder to accomodate some part of the ancestor, such as a tooth, bone or hair.

Not fixed rules but guidelines.

The made for tourist pieces always omit the features that symbolically represented sexuality. Lets not frighten the horses or the memsahib.

 

https://beta.liveauctioneers.com/item/38542388_kongo-power-fetish-figure-congo-central-africa-late

This character has also got some sort of ring on its head.

 

Interesting points, thanks a lot. Definitely food for thought.

 

Some of these 'power figures' are apparently deliberately left legless.

Power figure Luba, the legless female form:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Power+Figure,+Luba,+the+legless+female+form+with+hands+to+the+...&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRhq-XhILNAhWBFxQKHUXSAcMQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=511#tbm=isch&q=+luba+legless+power+figure&imgrc=p9GvEbQlwUB8pM:

Truncated female figure, also Luba...

http://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/112382