A male Lobi sculpture, of the Bonko region, standing on fragmentary wedge-shaped feet leading to slightly bent legs ending up in prominent buttocks, slightly tapering torso with a protruding navel and accuentuated breasts, rounded shoulders terminating in arms bent forward with hands of different shape, resting on the hips, the thick neck is supporting an oval head with full-bodied lips beneath a wide nose, framed by crescent-shaped eyes which are bordered all around, beneath high arched brows, c-shaped ears with a significant tragus; heavy wood, encrusted patina with remnants of kaolin, several cracks, partly eroded.

This sculpture was collected with three other Lobi-figures in the Bonko region, which are pictured on the following websites. This was confirmed by the last owner, who said, that these four sculptures are coming from the same shrine. The similarity of the patina could be an indication for this statement. The first two sculptures are showing a high degree of commonalities with this figure, even mouth and ears are completely different. I suppose these are different carvers but they have influenced each other in an intensive way.

Lit: Wolfgang Jaenicke: Die Schwierigkeit der Zuordnung bei einigen Bonko Skulpturen; 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; Kat. Ausst.: Lobi. Westafrikanische Skulpturen aus der Sammlung Greschik, anlässlich der Ausstellung „Die Entdeckung des Individuums“, Lutherstadt Wittenberg 2016, Berlin 2016.

sold

Height: 62 cm
Weight: 3 kg