Standing female figure "niande" · Burkina Faso, Mossi · ID: 3040947
Dirk Vonck, Brussels, Belgium (1970)
Hans Reinmöller, Ratingen, Germany (1994)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, lot 20
German Private Collection
Description
wood, rich blackish brown patina, crested coiffure (“gyonfo”), incised scarification marks, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, rep. (breakage left upper arm), metal base;
“niande” figures represent royal ancestors and are displayed at annual ceremonies that occur at key points in the agricultural cycle. During funeral rites, which generally occur long after the actual burial, a figure may stand in for and represent the deceased chief. The figures are also important in ancestral ritual.
The object Standing female figure “niande” with the object ID 3040947 was part of the auction 84th Tribal Art Auction on November 5, 2016. The object with the lot number 169 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,100 with an asking price of EUR 800.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Roy, Christopher, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Paris 1987, p. 152 ff.