Bateba Femenino
Lobi · Burkina Faso
Reference: Not registered
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Figure of wood carved from the foot, with legs wide apart, voluminous feet and arms gathered in front of the trunk. The head has faces facing…
Provisional editorial description. See the study and the checks still outstanding below.
Enquire about this objectPhotographs (4)
Full original description
The source record does not contain usable historical text. Its full contents are preserved in the private archive for review.
Further technical information
- Attributed period
- Mid-century XX or earlier.
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Editorial study and sources
Editorial study of the collection · November 1, 2026. The original record is kept in the documentary archive.
Figure of wood carved from the foot, with legs wide apart, voluminous feet and arms gathered in front of the trunk. The head has faces facing in opposite directions, visible when comparing the front, side and back photographs. The surface is clear and irregular, with cracks and a longitudinal crack visible on the back.
The catalogue calls it “Female Bateba” and links it to the Lobi of Burkina Faso. Museums retain wooden lobi figures called bataba; Yale’s archive also documents Janic compositions and their relationship with shrines and community protection.
The historical denomination is preserved. The bifront character is observable in the photographs, but these do not suffice to fix the identity represented, its particular ritual function or its antiquity.
Sources for context and comparison
- The Met: Figure (Bateba), 1986.474.2 ↗
Nombre bateba, talla en madera y catalogación lobi de Burkina Faso. - Yale University Art Gallery · Van Rijn Archive: Figures / Bateba, 0055747 ↗
Ejemplo de representación jánica lobi y contexto de las figuras de santuario.
Country on the map
Burkina Faso. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.
