Senufo style statue - Lot 153

Senufo style statue Ivory Coast Wood H : 33,5 cm Statues of horsemen are rare in the Senufo corpus. Carved in the same piece of wood, the rider and his horse are spread out in angular lines. The hieratic human figure has a hollowed back and bulbous belly, strong arms holding a spear on one side and a thick ridged harness on the other. His face is horizontally stretched which is accentuated by the small prognathic mouth. Cheeks, temples and navel are slightly scarified. He is wearing a circular hat. These statuettes named Syonfolo (master of the horse) or Fanhafolo (he who possesses power), were the symbol of material power, allegory associated with the idea of chieftaincy and representation of physical and moral strength. Belonging to the diviners, they intensified the process of divination. SENUFO STYLE - STATUE 33.5 CM