old African Lobi Bateba weathered sculpture - Burkina Faso 

Hand carved from a single piece of wood and collected in the 1950s 

Size: 57 cm high including the stand.

This Lobi sculpture are dated mid 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Lobi statue, from Burkina Faso.
Representation of a male figure, with the right arm raised.
The position of the arm is to repeal from spells.
Beautiful expression and volumes.
Patina has traces or erosion and wood cracks.

A male Lobi Bateba statue, collected in the Gaoua region, Burkina Faso, standing on a round base, straight legs protruding from it, hands resting at the waist, protruding belly, a large oval-shaped head resting on narrow shoulders, roughly carved features of a small mouth, pointed nose and large, protruding coffee bean eyes, large ears on the sides of the face. Signs of age and use. Certificate of origin and provenance.

"The Lobi people live in a vast geographical area stretching from Burkina Faso, to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Villages are spread over large areas and consist of several complexes." "The Lobi community is not organized on the basis of kinship or political ties and lacks any centralized political authority in the form of a chief king or council of village elders. Instead, the members of the community are united by a common adherence to the cult of a nature spirit called "thil" (plural thila) and the rules that govern proper social behavior in the community are those dictated by the spirit through the diviner (thildar).

The thila are invisible spirits of nature with certain supernatural powers and forces that they can use for either malevolent or benevolent purposes. Each village has a particular spirit (dithil) who is responsible for the entire village. Social behavior is regulated by this thila, whose will is communicated to common people by priests and diviners." "Wooden or clay sculptures, called bateba, act as an intermediary between a particular thil and the Lobi community. Lobi bateba figures have a great deal of style and are made for a wide range of purposes. In Lobi communities, anyone can learn to carve, it is not limited to those with specialized training. Lobi bateba figures are believed to be able to act on behalf of their owner, they are considered a living being and have the ability to act against forces that can harm the owner or bring good things to the owner, depending on the intended purpose".

Lit: Daniela Bognolo: Lobi. Visions of Africa, 2007 Milan; Floros & Sigrid Katsouros/Stephan und Petra Herkenhoff: Anonyme Schnitzer der Lobi, Hannover 2006; Piet Meyer: Kunst und Religion der Lobi, Zürich 1981; Galerie Flak: Magie Lobi, Paris 2003; Floros Katsouros: Lobi - Figuren, chefs d'oeuvre und Kultobjekte, Hannover 2013; Kat. Ausst.: Lobi. Westafrikanische Skulpturen aus der Sammlung Greschik, anlässlich der Ausstellung „Die Entdeckung des Individuums“, Lutherstadt Wittenberg 2016, Berlin 2016