Figure

Museum number:

5-17111

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm21050017111

Alternate number:

54 (previous number (donor's original number), appraisal number)

Accession number:

Acc.4806

Description:

carved wooden Senufo figure.

Donor:

Robert D. Haas

Collection place:

Cote d'Ivoire

Verbatim coll. place:

Haas served in the Peace Corps in the Ivory Coast from 1964 to 1966.

Production place:

Cote d'Ivoire

Culture or time period:

Lobi

Collector:

Robert D. Haas

Collection date:

1964-1966

Materials:

Wood (plant material)

Object type:

ethnography

Object class:

Carvings (visual works)

Function:

5.3 Objects relating to the Secular and Quasi-religious Rites, Pageants, and Drama

Accession date:

August 14, 2017

Department:

Africa (except Ancient Egypt)

Dimensions:

whole— height 8 inches, whole— width 2 inches, and whole— depth 2 inches

Comment:

From a contemporary letter written by the collector/donor: "On Monday, we spent the morning shifting through “treasures” in the art market. I met Anita’s favorite trader, Traoré (it was he who got my firespitter mask) and a jolly trader named Bamba. After much bargaining I picked up two pieces. One was a fetish statue from the Lobi tribe [Note: now 5-17111]. The Lobis are sort of the “hillbillies” of the Ivory Coast. They live in the North-East and seem much less organized than other tribes, who look down on them. Finding pieces of Lobi sculpture is difficult, so I was happy to get this small (8 ½”) piece. It is quite old (“Before the French came with cars and planes,” explained Traoré) and the wood is cracked with age and worn smooth with handling. The carving is crude and the form is simple. Yet for all of its simplicity, it is much better proportioned, aesthetically speaking, than most of the more elaborate and sophisticated Senufo works. Though quite small, it has a sense of solidity that give it much power. Its grace reminds me of the Hera of Samos (Louvre), although it is much smaller and bulkier." "The other piece is a Senufo bird (wingspan about 14”) [Note: now 5-17100] with two smaller birds [Note: now 5-17099] (from their carving it is clear that they are not from the same sculptor) hovering over its back. A very graceful piece, and evidently one that has seen much use, as its paint spots are much faded. The figure originally rested on a pole and was used in initiation and courtship ceremonies (the bird is the main Senufo fertility symbol)." "While my purchases were most cautious at first, I suspect that this summer [when I would be living in the area] I’ll go wild with activity. Anita has given me some maps showing how to get to the nearby villages and the homes of local traders.

Images: