Anthropomorphic head ·  Burkina Faso, Lobi · ID: 3038314

Description

fired clay, remains of red and black paint, beautiful modelled regular facial features, hairdo in five lobes, fragmentary;
two kinds of objects from clay “jar” were made for the “thila”, receptacles and “bateba” figures, both were used on shrines. The specialists who made them were called “bateba me” - “bateba builder” and “blo me” - “pot builder”. According to Piet Meyer, human figures with such human heads from fired clay were found in areas where the “natye” and “uer” cult had been established.

The object Anthropomorphic head with the object ID 3038314 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 147 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,000.

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Comparing literature

Meyer, Piet, Kunst und Religion der Lobi, Zürich 1981, p. 156 ff.