Description:

West Africa, Burkina Faso, Lobi peoples, ca. early 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden male figure with wide feet and delineated legs, a bulbous abdomen, planar shoulders with drooping arms, and a thick neck. The ovoid head boasts carved almond-shaped eyes, a triangular nose, pursed lips, and cupped ears, all beneath a domed head. Given this sculpture's protective role, it was most likely placed on or around an altar as part of a group of various 'bateba' figures (literal translation of bateba is wooden carved figure). The precise meaning of each figure's shape and posture is difficult to ascertain, since these carvings were created as the result of a seer's vision for an afflicted individual who was suffering a particular malady. Size: 1.875" W x 6.625" H (4.8 cm x 16.8 cm).

Provenance: ex-collection of the late Peter Arnovick, San Francisco, California, USA

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#135920

  • Condition: Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small losses to feet, stable hairline fissures to top of head and posterior, and fading to some finer features. Light earthen deposits and warm, lustrous dark-brown patina throughout.

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September 27, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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