Small figure "mu po" ·  Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke · ID: 3042024

Description

wood, slightly encrusted dark brown patina, remains of pigments, small opening at the neck, a large rectangular opening on the backside, min. dam., small missing parts, plate;
Bamileke healers and soothsayers used such small wooden statuettes to represent their patients, who would be treated at a distance. Sometimes the statuettes have a cavity in the back into which magical substances would be placed and the cavity closed with a band of leather or cloth. Some of them would be carried by mask-wearing members of the “kungan” society during their big rituals.

The object Small figure “mu po” with the object ID 3042024 was last part of the auction 85th Tribal Art Auction at March 4, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 311.

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