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Lot 53
Mossi Female Chief Post Figure, Burkina Faso
21 November – 5 December 2024, 12:00 PST
Online, Los AngelesUS$25,000 - US$35,000
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Mossi Female Chief Post Figure, Burkina Faso
Wood
Height: 31 1/2in (79cm)
Provenance
Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection, New York
American Private Collection, acquired in 1992
Literature
Roy, Christopher D., Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Chaffin, Meudon, 1987, p. 171, no. 134A
Skougstad, Norman, Traditional Sculpture from Upper Volta, The African-American Institute New York, 1978, p. 12, no. 40, fig. 6
Delange, Jacqueline, Arts et Peuples de l'Afrique Noire - Introduction à l'Analyse des Créations
Plastiques, Gallimard, Paris, 1967, no. 17
Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1966, no. 7
Exhibited
The African-American Institute, New York, Traditional Sculpture from Upper Volta, 24 October 1978 - 24 March 1979
The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, 2 November 1966 - 5 February 1967
As noted by Christopher Roy (Ibid., p. 170), "Male and female pairs of carved posts are erected on each side of the entrance to the chief's compound residence in his official courtyard, samandé.[. . .]
The posts are changed each year after the annual sacrifices following the harvest, when the chief's ancestors are thanked for providing for the well-being of the community during the year. The old posts are buried like human corpses.
The figures serve two purposes: they are symbols to all visitors that the house belongs to an important chief, and they guard the entrance of the compound to prevent dangerous spirits from harming the family. It is apparent that in this context they embody spirits that watch over the chief's lineage."
In hard wood with overall attenuated proportions, the diminutive head with a sagittal crest and pierced ears resting on a squared neck on rounded shoulders, the chest and abdomen highlighted with incised feather design; dark brown patina with age distress lines throughout.
Height: 31 1/2in (79cm)
Provenance
Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection, New York
American Private Collection, acquired in 1992
Literature
Roy, Christopher D., Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Chaffin, Meudon, 1987, p. 171, no. 134A
Skougstad, Norman, Traditional Sculpture from Upper Volta, The African-American Institute New York, 1978, p. 12, no. 40, fig. 6
Delange, Jacqueline, Arts et Peuples de l'Afrique Noire - Introduction à l'Analyse des Créations
Plastiques, Gallimard, Paris, 1967, no. 17
Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1966, no. 7
Exhibited
The African-American Institute, New York, Traditional Sculpture from Upper Volta, 24 October 1978 - 24 March 1979
The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, 2 November 1966 - 5 February 1967
As noted by Christopher Roy (Ibid., p. 170), "Male and female pairs of carved posts are erected on each side of the entrance to the chief's compound residence in his official courtyard, samandé.[. . .]
The posts are changed each year after the annual sacrifices following the harvest, when the chief's ancestors are thanked for providing for the well-being of the community during the year. The old posts are buried like human corpses.
The figures serve two purposes: they are symbols to all visitors that the house belongs to an important chief, and they guard the entrance of the compound to prevent dangerous spirits from harming the family. It is apparent that in this context they embody spirits that watch over the chief's lineage."
In hard wood with overall attenuated proportions, the diminutive head with a sagittal crest and pierced ears resting on a squared neck on rounded shoulders, the chest and abdomen highlighted with incised feather design; dark brown patina with age distress lines throughout.
Additional information
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