Standing male figure · Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3053168
Starting price
EUR 4,500
Estimated price
EUR 9,000
Provenance
Adalbert von Alföldy, Eislingen, GermanyGeorg Dorner, Bad Füssing, Germany
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, pigments, base
For a comparable work from the same workshop see AHDRC 0058766.
The Guro call figural sculptures “mi iri nä” - “small wooden persons”. They are not associated with the ancestor cult. As ritual objects they are rather displayed on special shrines, called “zuzu”. “Zuzu” are invisible spiritual beings, who are thought to be able to defend the crops and the house from evil spirits. The small wooden figures are mediatiors between the “zuzu” and the humans. Regularly they receive small pots with fresh cooked food in order to keep the spirits well-disposed.