Standing ape figure "gbekre" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baoulé · ID: 3033355

Description

wood, thick encrusted greyish brown sacrificial patina, strong body, lowered eyes, revealed teeth, hole on top of the head, rep. (right arm), missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base;
“gbekre” figures belong to secret societies, village communities or individual families. They always look wild and aggressive and they always hold a receptacle in front of the breast. They are currently sacrificed with blood and eggs, which is why the whole figure is coated with a thick layer of encrusted blackish patina. They fulfill various tasks, serve for protection of the family or were used for soothsaying.

Littérature comparée

Vogel, Susan Mullin, Baule - African Art - Western Eyes, New York 1997, p. 41