Ένα ξύλινο κεφάλι - Lobi - Μπουρκίνα Φάσο (χωρίς τιμή ασφαλείας)

A Lobi headstake (baathil / pole head), collected in the Kampti village, Poni region, Burkina Faso, incl. stand.

In his Kunst und Religion der Lobi (1981), Piet Meyer treats the Lobi “head‑stakes” (or baathil; in his terminology also bateba ti bala yuo) as especially potent and ambiguous ritual objects. According to Meyer, these sculpted heads on posts belong to a category of Lobi iconography characterised by “superabundance” or bodily distortion.

A Lobi headstake of the wolfgang-jaenicke collection from the same region (last photosequence).

He links them to spiritually dangerous forces: these heads often serve as receptacles or supports for khele, a powerful “dangerous” spirit connected with violent occurrences (for instance, homicide).Meyer notes that in some cases these heads are placed on outdoor earth‑shrines, making them visible in the landscape.At other times, he observes, they may be kept inside, for instance in a house, in a basket or clay container, which points to a more intimate kind of spiritual use.

For Meyer the gesture (or symbolic “deformity”) of a head on a post is not a random distortion: it indicates concentrated power. In his analysis, such forms are part of a broader Lobi aesthetic register in which physical exaggeration or exaggeration of limbs is a way to express spiritual potency.

Finally, he is somewhat cautious in his interpretation: he presents different possible readings (khele‑power, ancestor mediation) and refers to ethnographic uncertainty, rather than asserting a single, fixed meaning.

CAB23333.

"I believe that the import of all art objects from Africa—whether copies or originals—should be prohibited to protect Africa." Quote: Prof. Dr. Viola König, former director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, now HUMBOLDTFORUM

Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor.

All bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery.

Our Gallery addresses these structural challenges through a policy of maximum transparency and documentation. Should any questions or uncertainties arise, we invite you to contact us. Each matter will be reviewed diligently using all available resources.