Lot 453

Yungur Wiiso Ancestral Vessel, Nigeria

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Lot 453
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Yungur Wiiso Ancestral Vessel, Nigeria
Yungur Wiiso Ancestral Vessel, Nigeria
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Yungur Wiiso Ancestral Vessel, Nigeria

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

West Africa, Nigeria, Yungur people, ca. 20th century CE. A sculptural anthropomorphic pottery vessel known as a Wiiso, created by the Yungur people of northeastern Nigeria. The rounded jar form is modeled with four projecting arms and two pronounced female breasts, giving the vessel a distinctive human presence. Rows of small punctate impressions decorate the upper body and shoulders, while the short neck rises from the figure's torso. Among the Yungur, Wiiso vessels serve as ritual portraits of forefathers and containers for the ancestral spirits of once-living male leaders. Each Yungur hamlet maintains ancestral shrine enclosures where these vessels are kept, marking sacred spaces where relationships between the living community and their ancestors are renewed. Size: 8.8" Diameter x 12.7" H (22.4 cm x 32.3 cm)

Wiiso vessels play an important role during the annual pre-planting Mama festival, when beer is brewed and shared symbolically between the Yungur and their ancestors. During these ceremonies, headmen make appeals to the creator god Leura and the ancestral realm for rainfall and fertile harvests. Acting as mediators between the living and the spirit world, Wiiso vessels help legitimize leadership and preserve the social and cosmological order within Yungur communities.

Provenance: private Venice, Florida, USA collection

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Item # 197823

  • Condition: Repairs to rim with break lines visible. Chipping to rim and base, as well as nicks and surface wear as shown. Good remaining detail.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000