*Mossi statue, Burkina Faso - Lot 108

Lot n° 108
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Estimation :
10000 - 12000 EUR
*Mossi statue, Burkina Faso - Lot 108
*Mossi statue, Burkina Faso Wood H. 37 cm Provenance Private collection, Germany Lucien van de Velde Collection, Antwerp Collection Brian and Diane Leyden, New York David Jessner Collection, New York Private collection, Switzerland Bibliography: Plant Armstrong, The Powers of Presence, 1981, No. 47 Arts d'Afrique Noire N. 44, Winter 1982: p. 11. Among the Mossi, the majority of sculptural representations embody female figures. According to Roy, the most notable features are "the high central crest running from the front to the back of the head, representing the female hairstyle called gyonfo, a cylindrical torso attenuated, the arms stretched rigidly to the sides with the forearms" (Mossi Chiefs' Figures, Christopher D. Roy, African Arts, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Aug., 1982). This example supports Roy's precise analysis of the aesthetics and plasticity of Mossi statuary. The broad, angular shoulders and oversized neck accentuate the power of the pose - firmly planted on semi-flexed, spread legs with accentuated musculature, the straight, conical chest juts out from her torso. The prominent umbilicus and delicate linear facial and ventral incised scarring mimic the scars traditionally worn by Mossi women, giving the statue a dynamism on its surface and not just its volumes. Her hands resting on her hips - her face stretched forward. Very beautiful opposition between the narrow oval face and the roundness of the head, accentuated by the large circular ears and the sagittal Ayonfo crest, inscribed in relief and harmoniously linked to the nose in a beautiful continuity. The geometric stylization of the volumes is matched by the fluted surfaces and the beautiful light, nuanced patina. In addition to its aestheticism tending to cubism and its strength of presence, its symbolism. According to Roy (1987: 152 and 162), Mossi wooden statues are used by the Nakomsé (descendants of the conquerors) in a political context, to assert the visual authority of the naba (chief). They can be used for funerals, which are then ephemeral, or they can be used for annual sacrifices offered to the ancestors. They are then kept in the kimse roogo, inside the hut of the oldest wife of the chief. This lot is in temporary importation and is subject to a 5.5% fee payable by the buyer in addition to the selling expenses and the auction price.
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