Standing female figure "niande"
Burkina Faso, Mossi
Vendu
1 100 €
Provenance
Ben Turch Collection (1920’s)Dirk Vonck, Brussels, Belgium (1970)
Hans Reinmöller, Ratingen, Germany (1994)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, lot 20
German Private Collection
Taille
H: 63 cm
H: 24.8 inch
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.