Lobi
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel
Bird Figure (Lumbr)
INV-2484
Lobi
Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the SahelLate 19th or early 20th century
Bird Figure (Lumbr)
Lobi Burkina Faso Northern Africa and the Sahel →lobiArts of Africaafrican ArtNorthern Africa and the Sahelsculpturearts of Africa
Date
Late 19th or early 20th century
Medium
Wood and sacrificial material
Dimensions
Mounted on base: 63.5 × 35.6 × 14 cm (25 × 14 × 5 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Arts of Africa and the Americas Curatorial Discretionary Fund
This bird figure would have been placed in a shrine along with dozens of other sculptures and items collected from nature for use in divination. It served as an intermediary between the human world and the supernatural one. Spirits called bathila manifest themselves through such objects in order to provide assistance to individuals who seek it when confronted with illness or other misfortune. The encrusted surface was formed from repeated offerings of earth, animal blood, and plant extracts.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
