A female divination statuette - Lot 80

A female divination statuette Divination is practiced by an initiate of Sandogo society, generally a woman among the Senufo, the sandobele. This type of statuette is part of the diviner's paraphernalia, a feminine figure linked to the representation of a primordial couple, necessary to embody tutelary spirits. In a beautiful old style from the Koufoulo region, this idealized image of a woman, scarified at the face and umbilicus, her braided headdress depicts a black guinea fowl incubating its eggs, implying the notion of fertility. Sénoufo, Ivory Coast Wood, restoration (broken and glued), original piece and visible missing part at the base and minor visible accident at the upper lip (old breakage), very fine old patina from use H. 23.5 cm See pp. 24-29 for other divinatory statuettes in Arts de la Côte d'Ivoire Tome 1, Ed. Musée Barbier-Mueller Geneva 1993 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection