Bateba Anthropomorphic Statuette - Pougouli/lobi Culture, Burkina Faso - Circa 1900

Bateba Anthropomorphic Statuette
Pougouli/Lobi culture, Burkina Faso
Circa 1900
Wood with red patina
H. 20.5 ; L 5 cm

A monoxyle wooden statue with a red patina, carved anthropomorphically according to the stylistic characteristics of the culture: she stands on angular legs that are separated from each other, her knees protrude, her short torso has a rounded abdomen with a small umbilicus, her buttocks are marked and separated, and her shoulders, chest and arms form a single line in relief. Its face has circular ears, sharply tapered eyes, a short nose and a small mouth with lips that are separated from each other.

Bateba figures are objects of divination, considered to be intermediaries between the human world and the spiritual world. They are placed in family altars or diviner-sculptor altars.

Catalogue number: 4586