Stone figure "nomoli"
Sierra Leone, Kissi
sold
EUR 4,500
Provenance
Robert Terwindt, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsArendt Oetker, Berlin, Germany
Helmut Gernsheim, Castagnola, Switzerland
Bernhard Jäger, Frankfurt a. M., Germany
Size
H: 15 cm
H: 5.9 inch
Description
blackish brown patina, seated figure with tripartite crested coiffure and accentuated navel, incised decor, dam. (eyezone), arms and legs missing;
“nomoli” figures were used during fertility rites to ensure a rich harvest. If they failed in their function and the harvest turned out to be unsatisfactory, the figures would be whipped during a ceremony, sometimes until they were damaged or even destroyed. Hence many of these figures have breakages or are missing limbs.
Publications
AHDRC: 0142015