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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Reliquary Figure (Bieri)
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

Reliquary Figure (Bieri)

Artist/Maker (Cameroon and Gabon)
Date20th century
Mediumwood, stain, copper alloy, plastic beads, plant fiber and encrustation
DimensionsOverall: 20 7/8 x 7 1/2 x 6 in. (53 x 19.1 x 15.2 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineGift of Alan Potamkin
Terms
    Object number2007.48.26
    DescriptionBieri figures are attached to cylindrical bark containers that contain relics, usually bones, of ancestors. The figure personifies the collective qualities of the ancestors and is regarded as the reliquary’s guardian.
    On View
    On view
    Collections
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Dogon people
    19th century or earlier
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Artist Unknown
    late 19th to early 20th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Kissi people
    possibly 15th to 16th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Luba people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Bamileke people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Nigeria, Igbo people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Shama Woto
    1950s
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Fang people
    ca. 19th century
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Wosera people
    late 19th to early 20th century