Boli statue, Bamana of Mali - It hurts. - Bamana - Mali (No reserve price)

Boli Bamana from Mali. A rough, cracked surface obscures the exact identification of the organic and inorganic materials assembled to create the boli (plural: boliw), or power object, presented here. Such objects play an essential role in the Bamana's spiritual life. The Boliw have attracted a great deal of attention from Western observers due to their amorphous shapes and unusual materials. The bulbous, amorphous form is rather idiosyncratic within the Bamana art repertoire. The Boliw consist of a wooden "core" frame wrapped in white cotton cloth, around which clay and sacrificial materials are inlaid. This boli has four short "feet" on which it rests, as well as a single bump rising from the top. The creature depicted by a boli is not identifiable, but many adopt the loosely zoomorphic form suggested by this piece, while others may be anthropomorphic. Good condition; see photos "one of the rear feet is shorter", thank you. Shipped with insurance.

Estimate:£0.83

View all items fromCatawikiorEthnographical