Rare female terracotta figure · Cameroon, Mambila, Mbamga/Vokunde village · ID: 3040631
Lucien van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium
Description
brown patina, traces of red pigment, compact body with the overlarge head widely projecting to the front, the body partly coated with burls, missing parts (right arm), some burls broken out or dam., acrylic base;
holes in the body of the figures (in present case between legs and in the head) served for insertion of power substances. The figures had various tasks ranging from protecting the family or village community from theft to curing disease and punishing sorcerers.
The object Rare female terracotta figure with the object ID 3040631 was last part of the auction 83rd Tribal Art Auction at May 28, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 351 achieved a sales price of EUR 700.
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Comparing literature
Schwartz, Nancy, Mambila, Milwaukee 1972, p. 26