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Female figure

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Female figure

20th century

Burkina Faso , Lobi culture

Lobi figures demonstrate what can happen when carving is a household obligation. Anyone could carve a sculpture for thila, supernatural spirits endowed with special powers. Carvers had a set model to follow, with figures having enlarged heads, squared shoulders, flexed knees and faces set in determination to protect the families in their midst. These figures exist in huge numbers, with variations in style and degree of finish, bearing clear witness to the extent of this everyday aesthetic experience. No Lobi house was without a small shrine room where such statues waited to provide counseling. They would expect offerings of food in return, and the residue of this has eaten away the surfaces and feet of certain figures.
Wood
Height: 23in. (58.4cm)
Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
2012.29.5
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
location
Not currently on view

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