Description : wood, missing parts (insect caused damage), base This very old figure was originally part of a pair of figures (see Mallet / Coquet, 2008, p. 46). It was presumably once placed at a shrine and shows traces of strong sacrifice, through which the goodwill of the spirits was to be obtained. It can be assigned to the so-called Lobi with glasses, a term that was created around the turn of the millennium and is derived from the ring-shaped framing of the eyes. A comparable figure shown in Keller/ Katsouros, 2014, ill. S1A-96. According to the informant Binaté Kambou, these sculptures were made by sculptors from the Puguli (or Pougouli) ethnic group. The figures are always carved from the wood of the sacred khaàbiri tree, which is associated with bush spirits and plays a role in rituals. Continent: Africa
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About the lot N° 140 Title : Standing Male Shrine Figure, Period : 2008 Size : H: 59 cm, H: 23,2 inch Provenance : Gabriel Massa (1923-2011), France/ Burkina Faso Henricus Simonis, Düsseldorf, Germany Literature : Keller, Thomas & Floros Katsouros, Lobi Statuary: Brillen, Lully 2014, p. 8 ff. Condition report : See description