Male ancestor figure "kpin sebla" · Burkina Faso, Dagari · ID: 3052233
Starting price
EUR 800
Estimated price
EUR 1,500
Provenance
Ilia Malichin, Baden-Baden, Germany (1992)German Private Collection, Gaggenau
Size
H: 84 cm
H: 33.1 inch
Description
wood, encrusted sacrificial patina, base
It was not until the 1990s that these “phallic” Dagari sculptures became known to wider circles.
The Dagari are relatives of the Lobi, who live in the southwest of Burkina Faso and the northwest of Ghana.
Each of these figures represents a deceased family member. They are placed on family altars and at shrines and serve the ancestor cult. They are sacrificed with millet beer, millet porridge or the blood of sacrificial animals.
Comparing literature
Bognolo, Daniela, Lobi, Milan 2007, p. 57, Fig. 19