Lot 191
West Africa, Burkina Faso, Lobi peoples, ca. 19th to mid-20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden female figure known as a bateba phuwe, which translates to "ordinary wooden carved figure." She stands upright with slightly bent legs, and a very pronounced posterior backside. She is nude and holds her hands clasped in front of her distended abdomen and her breasts are pointed and oddly positioned as if projecting from the shoulders. Her large head has simple features, full protruding lips under a simple nasal ridge, and jutting brow bone with soft incised brows atop the forehead. To the sides of her rounded head are cupped ears, and there are traces of a fur or fibrous vegetal remains on her scalp which indicate she might have had hairs adhered to the surface as a simple coiffure. Bateba figures are typically placed in shrines or near building entrances to safeguard those inside from malevolent forces such as disease, evil spirits, or witchcraft. Size: 2" W x 6.25" H (5.1 cm x 15.9 cm); 6.75" H (17.1 cm) on included custom stand.
Bateba, such as this example, served as intercessors between protective spirits, known as Thila, and humans. The Lobi believe that bateba can carry out the orders of these spirits, such as protecting a household from evil or flying through the night to warn of danger. What bateba represent can vary greatly throughout Lobi country. While in some cases bateba are associated with ancestral spirits, in others they represent "returned people" who passed away several generations back. As bateba statue carvers receive no special status and little or no payment for completed carvings, bateba display a wide variety of styles, forms, and finishes. Their only important feature is that they resemble the human form. Thus, there exists no classification of forms or attitude of bateba; a statue with one form can symbolize different things depending on its owner, while a statue of the same form may represent something else, or a statue of a different form can have the same significance. Though bateba phuwe serve the purpose of protection from illness, witchcraft, and sorcery, other bateba are thought to help in other areas of life, such as in aiding single men in finding suitable partners or easing the owner's sadness in grief by taking on their mourning. A figure like this one would have been placed on an altar or shrine with other local bateba.
Provenance: private Jersey City, New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Campbell collection, Paris, France; ex-Marc Assayag collection, Montreal, Canada
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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#169915
- Condition: Fair condition. Losses to head verso and interior is hollow with bore holes due to old insect activity. Stable pressure fissures radiating across body and losses to legs as shown. Surface abrasions and chips throughout. Heavy weathered and aged surface with a dark patina.
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