Bird Figure (Lumbr)
Lobi
1880–1925
- Medium
- Wood and sacrificial material
- Dimensions
- Mounted on base: 63.5 × 35.6 × 14 cm (25 × 14 × 5 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- sculpture
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
lobishrinespainting (coating)divinationnature spiritsbirdappliqué (technique)Northern Africa and the Sahelsculpturewood (plant material)african Artarts of Africacarvingritual objectspigmentsacrificial material
About
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.
