Hermaphrodite protective figure "bateba" with "phisa" hairstyle
Burkina Faso, Lobi
sold
EUR 800
Provenance
Klaus Böttger, Wiesbaden, Germany (1997)Bernhard Jäger, Frankfurt a. M., Germany
Size
H: 34 cm
H: 13.4 inch
Description
wood, strongly encrusted patina, handwritten inventory number “1327”, base
The order to have a figure sculpted the people receive from the “thila”, invisible beings provided with supernatural powers and skills, who serve as mediators between god and the people.
Such figures are kept in shrines as living personages that see, communicate and intervene in the life of Lobi villages in warding off disease or witchcraft.