Figural carved dance cane "bober", presumably Sikire Kambire · Burkina Faso, Lobi · ID: 3040922
Jean David, Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Reinmöller, Ratingen, Germany (2000)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, lot 37
German Private Collection
Description
wood, shiny reddish brown patina, axe-shaped finial crowned by a couple of male/female figures, abundant decor with brass tags (some missing at the coiffure), slightly dam., right arm of the male figure, cracks, base;
presumably from the hand or from the “school” of the Lobi sculptor Sikire Kambire (1896-1963) from Gaoua (compare Meyer, 1981, p. 131-140).
Figurative canes, “bober”, were once carried in dance. Today the practice has all but ended. They also served as protective devices to insure safety when travelling outside the home or the village area of a Lobi. Beyond that safe zone, all is fraught with danger from alien “koteé” spirits. The carved figures are called “dàgol”, personal protective spirits to ward off malevolent spirits.
Littérature comparée
Meyer, Piet, Kunst und Religion der Lobi, Zürich 1981, p. 127-140 Roy, Christopher D., Land of the flying masks, München 2007, p. 428