Description:

West Africa, Mali, Bamana (also Bambara), ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A group of 2 hand-carved wooden chi wara headdress figures, each with tall horns and stylized bodies. The female creature presents with a slender body surmounted by a more-petite baby antelope, and the larger male creature displays a grand mane crest along the back as well as a phallus beneath the body. Both creatures stand atop integral rectangular platforms perforated for attachment to the top of larger headdresses. Size of largest: 12.25" L x 3.6" W x 35.25" H (31.1 cm x 9.1 cm x 89.5 cm); 38.5" H (97.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Often described as an antelope, the Chi Wara is actually a composite animal - part antelope, part aardvark, and part pangolin. All of these animals are creatures that dig up the earth; while antelopes carve the ground with their hooves, the aardvark and pangolin use their claws to excavate termite mounds. This communion with the earth makes them ideal components of the Chi Wara, the supernatural being believed to have taught the Bamana people how to farm.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-estate of Dr. Milton Best, Riverdale, New York, USA, acquired 1990s

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#187387

  • Condition: Repairs to one horn on female and both horns on male, with light adhesive residue along break lines. Loss to some hair tufts as shown, with minor nicks and abrasions, otherwise in nice condition. Great preservation to overall forms.

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July 9, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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