Standing female figure "deble" · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3041729
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 14 March 2009, lot 169
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Description
wwood, reddish brown patina with traces of black paint, encrusted in some areas, linear scarification marks on face and body, slightly dam., cracks, minor missing parts (mouth), insect caused damage (base), base;
the large anthromorphic Senufo figures commonly known as “deble” are closely related to the practices of the initiatory and community institution, “poro”. For a long time observers limited the significance of these figures to their “dynamic” use – carried in pairs, the figures were used to rhythmically pound the earth during funerary ceremonies. However there is also a “static” use for the figures, which were sunk into the ground at the time of funerary rites. At the same time, the “poro piibele” figures (“children of the poro”) were placed upright near the “kpaala” (a small shelter built either in the village or on its outskirts), serving as the representatives of “poro”.
Comparing literature
Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 71 ff.
Publications
AHDRC: 0072376