A male Bété sculpture, Ivory Coast, standing upright in slightly forward tilted position, missing bottom of legs and feet, a columnar torso with a pointed navel, a small cover around the hips, strong shoulders terminating in powerful arms slightly bent and showing the palms of the hands that have been painted white, an elongated thick neck supporting an oval shaped head, a necklace with amulet, a very long an braided beard made out of rope, a small mouth beneath a triangular nose, large coffee-bean shaped eyes, a domed forehead, almost spherical ears; dark brown to blackened patina with remnants of white pigments, traces of age, ritual use, several cracks, damages on the legs, on the buttocks, on the right arm and on the backside of the head, incl. metal stand.

Lit.: Burkhard Gottschalk: Kunst aus Schwarz-Afrika. Zeugnisse der Meisterschaft afrikanischer Schnitzer aus privaten Sammlungen. Band 2, Düsseldorf 2007.

sold

Height: 98 cm
Weight: 7,2 kg