superb statue - Mende - Liberia (No reserve price)

Minsereh Fertility Figure - Mende - Sierra Leone
Statues of the Mende people are relatively rare, the Mende being best known for the Sande helmet masks of the women’s association.
But there are also other societies, with different rites, producing objects related to protective rites, of which this sculpture is a part.
Called Minsereh, it is said to be the prerogative of the leading women or diviners of the Yassi society, among others.
The Yassi society, as well as other nearby societies, were particularly active in divinatory rites.
The oldest Minsereh typically reached about one meter in height.
They were often placed beside a bowl containing medicinal contents.