Figure, Lobi; Burkina Faso
Wood, traces of pigment; H. 30"
These figures, collectively called
Bateba, are wood or clay sculptures ordered
by priests and diviners at the request of a particular
presiding thil deity. Such figures are kept
in shrines as living personages that see, communicate,
and intervene in the life of Lobi villagers in warding
off disease or witchcraft. This figure, almost certainly
by the same carver as an example formerly in the
Ginzberg Collection, is exceptional within the traditional
canon of Lobi style with regard to its powerful
angles and balance.
