Seated female figure "mami wata" ·  Togo, Ewe · ID: 3037620

Description

heavy wood, polychrome paint, topless, holding a snake, sacrificial traces, min. dam., cracks, paint rubbed off;
probably a work of the carver Agbali Kossi (1930-1992).
“Mami wata” is often described as a mermaid-like figure, with a woman’s upper body (often nude) and the hindquarters of a fish or serpent. In other tales she is fully human in appearance (though never human). A large snake (symbol of divination and divinity) frequently accompanies her, wrapping itself around her and laying its head between her breasts.

The object Seated female figure “mami wata” with the object ID 3037620 was part of the auction 78th tribal art auction on October 18, 2014. The object with the lot number 271 achieved a sales price of EUR 500 with an asking price of EUR 400.

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Comparing literature

Chesi, Gert, Voodoo, München 1983, p. 284 f.