A Lobi couple, Ivory Coast, from the Digoue region, cubistic rough-carved torsos and heads, elongated features the male head more elongated, both with a domed forehead and a protruding mouth; like many sculptures from the ivory part of the Lobi country, coverd with kaolin-sacrifications instead of encrusted chickenblood-remnants, which is more common in the Burkina-part of the Lobi country, we tried to identify the name of the sculpture, but this needs fieldwork in this abondoned region and for sure according of the stylistic elements the carver has passed away a long time ago without a remaining workshop. The Djigoue sculptures we collected (about twenty) are different than the wellknown styles in the Northern part of the Lobi country around Kampti, Loropeni and Gaoua and also different than the "Ivory Coast style" around Buna. They have rounded forms and are sometimes influenced by the Kulango, who are living in diaspora close to Djigoue. Its most wellnown exponent is "the carver of the concave forms" (PH). Other exemplares are rare, because the style is more or less unknown, because Djigoue is located in a remote zone of the Lobi country. Across the Lobi cultural sphere—spanning southwestern Burkina Faso and northwestern Ghana—regional carving traditions reveal subtle yet meaningful stylistic variations. Particularly notable are distinctions between works from the Digoué/Bouna zone and those associated with the Gaoua region in southwestern Burkina Faso. These differences, however, should not be understood as rigid taxonomic divisions, but rather as tendencies within a decentralized and highly individualized artistic system. In terms of proportion and carving approach, sculptures from the Digoué/Bouna area are often characterized by elongated torsos and comparatively attenuated limbs, emphasizing verticality and elegant restraint. Their surfaces tend to be subtly modeled rather than sharply geometric, and the heads may appear slightly smaller in relation to the body. By contrast, figures from the Gaoua region frequently display more compact, block-like proportions, with squared shoulders and cylindrical limbs rendered through strong geometric abstraction. Planar carving and angular articulation are more pronounced, and heads are often proportionally larger and architectonic in conception. Works from northwestern Ghana sometimes exhibit rounder modeling and softer transitions, reflecting stylistic blending with neighboring groups such as the Birifor. Surface treatment further distinguishes regional tendencies. In Digoué/Bouna examples, patinas are typically dark brown to black, built up through oil applications and libations, with kaolin often applied in lighter, more localized areas. These surfaces may show evidence of smoother finishing prior to ritual accretion. In the core areas of Burkina Faso, by contrast, sculptures frequently bear thick sacrificial encrustations composed of blood, millet beer, and clay, sometimes dramatically obscuring the original carving. Such differences reflect shrine maintenance patterns and ritual intensity rather than divergent theological systems. Iconographically, all regions produce multiple bateba types—ordinary, protective, and extraordinary—yet regional emphasis varies. The Digoué/Bouna zone shows a slight preference for restrained, frontal standing figures with arms held close to the body, their gestures minimal and their presence calm. Some scholars have observed possible influence from neighboring Kulango carving traditions in bodily proportion and posture. In southwestern Burkina Faso, more dramatic gestures—raised arms, bent elbows—and a greater proliferation of “extraordinary” forms, including multiple heads or exaggerated sexual features, are common. Expressive distortion here often serves to signal heightened spiritual potency. The degree of abstraction also differs subtly. Sculptures from Burkina Faso have often been cited in formalist art history for their radical abstraction and architectural solidity, with highly reduced anatomy and cubic massing. Digoué/Bouna works, while still abstract, may appear slightly more naturalistic in the curvature of the torso, less architecturally cubic, and more linear than volumetric. This distinction partly explains why certain Bouna pieces entered early European collections framed as “refined” rather than “monumentally abstract.” Historical context provides further insight. The Bouna region functioned as a cultural crossroads, fostering stylistic dialogue between Lobi and neighboring Gur-speaking groups. Southwestern Burkina Faso—particularly around Gaoua—is often considered closer to the historical core of Lobi settlement, where carving traditions may have evolved with comparatively less stylistic borrowing. As a result, Digoué/Bouna sculpture sometimes displays hybridized proportions, subtle decorative or scarification differences, and slightly altered shrine placement practices. Despite these regional nuances, Lobi carvers across all areas work independently, without centralized workshops. In the Gaoua region, art historical scholarship has more frequently identified recognizable “master hands,” whereas in Digoué/Bouna stylistic variation appears more dispersed. This discrepancy likely reflects patterns of collection and study rather than fundamental differences in local artistic practice. In conclusion, Lobi statuary from the Digoué/Bouna zone differs from that of southwestern Burkina Faso primarily in proportion, abstraction, and surface treatment—variations shaped by localized carving traditions, ritual use, and interethnic interaction. Yet these works remain united by a shared ritual and cosmological framework that defines Lobi sculpture across contemporary national boundaries. incl. stands CAB34706 Höhe: 98 cm / 94 cm Gewicht: 5,4 kg / 5,6 kg incl. stands