Statuette "kundul"
Christie’s, Paris, 23 June 2015, lot 22
Description
wood, encrusted greyish brown patina, unusual: arms straight aside the body instead of describing an oval or rhombus shape enclosing the protuberant navel, the high crest and nose ring prove the figure to be male, the incisions underneath the nose ring represent teeth, slightly dam., minor missing parts (teeth, coiffure and neck backside, bottom), base;
an iron spike is attached to the base, enabling the sculpture to be stuck in the ground upright in order to limit the damage caused by termites.
“Kundul” statues almost always appear in male/female pairs. The figures were used as protection and in divination. They were frequently washed with liquid clay, “fed” with offerings of millet beer or millet porridge and rubbed with oil. This explains their appearance and the thickness of the patina.