A Senufo couple, Ivory Coast. Certificate of origin and provenance.

The Senufo rhythm pounder, or Deblé, is a sculptural instrument used by the Senufo people of Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso. These wooden figures are rhythmically pounded on the ground during initiation and funeral ceremonies, producing a deep, resonant sound that connects the living with the ancestors.

Rhythm pounders serve both ritual and social functions, including:
• Funerary Rites: Used to honor the deceased and guide their spirit to the afterlife.
• Initiation Ceremonies: Played during Poro society rituals, symbolizing transformation into adulthood.
• Communication with Ancestors: The pounding sound is believed to summon spirits and reinforce collective identity.

Typically carved from wood, Deblé figures depict slender human forms with elongated torsos and minimalistic features. They are often gendered, with male and female pairs representing continuity, fertility, and social balance.

"The Senufo rhythm pounder (Deblé) embodies a profound intersection of music, sculpture, and spiritual practice. More than a percussion instrument, it acts as a conduit between the physical and metaphysical realms. As Glaze (1981) notes, ‘these figures are not simply objects of artistic expression but function as kinetic sculptures, activated by motion and sound to create a sensory bridge between the human and ancestral worlds’" (Art and Death in a Senufo Village, Indiana University Press).

Lit.: A lecture of Dr. Junker, "der Originalzustand.. Wo ist er geblieben?" Gottschalk Burkhard, "Senufo, Massa und die Statuen des poro" 2002: 43; Glaze Anita J., "Art and Death in a Senufo Village", Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1981. A related eyemplare: Robert Goldwater, Senufo Sculpture from West Africa, New York, 1964, ills. 88 and 88a, Werner Gillon, Collecting African Art, London, 1979, p. 50, fig. 38 William Rubin, "Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, New York, 1984, vol. 1, p. 131 William Rubin, Le Primitivisme dans l’art du 20e siècle. Les artistes modernes devant l’art tribal, Paris, 1987, p. 131 Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat and Lucien Stéphan, L'art africain, Paris, 1988, p. 82, pl. 34, Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan (eds.), Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, 1989, p. 80, pl. 34 Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat and Lucien Stéphan, Art of Africa, New York, 1993, p. 82, pl. 34 Mary H. Nooter, Secrecy: African Art that Conceals and Reveals, New York, 1993, p. 155, cat. 79.

According to Gottschalk, who tried to make a typolgy of the Senufo Déblé, these exemplares would probably be submitted to the group of the kulibèlè and not the fonombèlè.

"Während die ersteren (fonombèlè) entweder wegen mangelnder Fähigkeit zu feinerer Arbeit (the fonombèlè are the blacksmiths in the Senufo society) oder als bewußt eingesetztes Stilmittel die klaren und wuchtigen Formen, die kontrastierenden Waagerechten und Senkrechten weitgehend so beließen, wie sie bei der Festlegung der Proportionen entstanden waren, bemühten sich die kulibèlè (the traditional carver) um ein weiches Ineinanderfließen der Körperteile, soweit sie nicht den Stil ihrer älteren Brüder in ihre Arbeit aufnahmen oder ihn mehr oder weniger kopierten." Source: Burkhard Gottschalk

More realistic sounds the opinion of Glaze, who described the difficulties of a stylistic typology according to both ethnic groups after she did fieldwork around kufulo (region of Dikodougou). Anita J. Glaze, 81.

sold

Height: 122 cm / 118 cm
Weight: 7,6 kg / 6,7 kg