古い女性のバテバ像 – ロビ族 – ブルキナファソ – 木製 (No reserve price)

Old Female Bateba Figure – Lobi – Burkina Faso – Wood

Origin: Burkina Faso
People: Lobi
Type: Female Bateba figure
Material: Wood
Dimensions: 26 cm high; 28 cm including stand
Period: First half of the 20th century, probably early 20th century (stylistic attribution)
Provenance: Former French private collection

A small but remarkably expressive female Bateba figure from the Lobi people of Burkina Faso, distinguished by its archaic appearance, highly simplified sculptural language and deeply aged surface.

Among the Lobi, wooden figures known as bateba were associated with the thila, spiritual powers believed to influence and protect human life. Such figures were traditionally kept in household shrines, where they could receive offerings and play an important role in relationships between individuals and the spiritual world.

This example is particularly appealing for the radical simplicity of its carving and the quiet strength of its presence.

The standing female figure is represented in a strictly frontal, hieratic posture, with the arms held close to the body and the hands brought together in front of the lower abdomen.

The relatively large head, topped by a pointed conical coiffure, displays strongly emphasised eyebrows, a narrow face and a small, simplified mouth. The sharply angular shoulders and geometric breasts contrast with the softly rounded abdomen.

The entire composition is reduced to a few essential volumes, with no unnecessary decorative detail.

The wood retains a remarkable dark, unevenly encrusted surface, with areas of deep brown and black patination contrasting with patches of exposed reddish wood.

These surface characteristics, together with the considerable erosion of the lower limbs, give the figure a powerful impression of age and prolonged use.

The lower legs and feet have suffered extensive old losses, while the head, torso and arms remain sufficiently preserved to retain the full expressive character of the sculpture.

A vertical age crack is visible along the left side of the head.

The handwritten number "130" on the surviving part of one foot probably corresponds to an old collection inventory number.

The figure is mounted on a simple, later black-painted wooden stand.

A compelling example of the austere and highly individual sculptural expression associated with Lobi Bateba figures, whose beauty lies in the essential character of its forms, its deeply aged surface and the traces left by time.

Condition

Condition consistent with considerable age and wear.

Extensive old erosion and losses to the lower legs and feet.

Age crack along the left side of the head.

Dark, irregular and partly encrusted patina, with abrasions, surface deposits, minor cracks and areas of exposed wood.

The principal sculptural features remain well preserved.

Mounted on a simple, later black-painted wooden stand showing some wear.

Please refer carefully to the photographs, which form an integral part of the description.

Included

The wooden figure with its display stand.