Miniature anthropomorphic fetish Probably Lobi or Gurunsi cultural sphere (personal bateba)

Miniature anthropomorphic fetish Probably Lobi or Gurunsi cultural sphere (personal bateba)
Region: northern Ghana - southwestern Burkina Faso
Probable dating: first half of the XXᵉ century
Small anthropomorphic statuette carved from dense wood with irregular light-brown patina.
Dimensions : Height : 16 cm - Width : 3 cm - Weight : 50 g
The figure features a very simple, almost cylindrical vertical structure, whose volumes are obtained by minimal material clearance.
Features: slightly flattened globular head, protruding triangular nose, half-closed eyes simply incised, discreetly sketched mouth, short cylindrical neck, rectangular torso with angular shoulders, fused legs ending in two suggested feet.
The arms are simply indicated by a lateral relief, without any real clearance.
The typology corresponds to the small domestic protective figures, often called bateba in Lobi culture.
These figures were placed in family altars near house entrances or in domestic sanctuaries.
They were supposed to protect the inhabitants, ward off malevolent spirits and maintain the balance between the living and the ancestors.
Very small versions are sometimes associated with secondary altars or personal protective objects.
Several elements clearly refer to the Lobi / Gurunsi sculptural tradition:

triangular face with protruding nose
half-closed, simply incised eyes
one-piece body with geometric volumes
arms with little clearance from the trunk

The simplification of the volumes evokes small rural votive sculptures, made for domestic rather than ceremonial use.
The sculpture appears unacademic but authentic, in keeping with the aesthetic of Lobi domestic altars.
Condition
Generally stable condition, but previously altered.
Observations :

significant longitudinal crack running from head to legs
surface erosion due to ageing of the wood
irregular light to dark brown patina
micro-perforations on edges

The cracking is probably due to the natural drying of the wood.
No visible restoration.
Structurally stable.
Museum comparisons
Comparable objects in :

Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Brooklyn Museum

These institutions preserve several miniature Lobi bateba, some measuring less than 20 cm.
Bibliography
Laburthe-Tolra, Philippe
Arts of Black Africa.
Roy, Christopher D.
Art of the Upper Volta Rivers.
Cole, Herbert M.
African Arts of Transformation.
Fischer, Eberhard
Lobi Sculpture.
Rarity index: 6 / 10
Bateba figures are relatively common, but antique miniatures with authentic ritual patina are more sought-after.
Examples with a strong provenance or ritual patina can fetch €500-700.
The very small size (16 cm) and extreme simplification of the body bring this object closer to what some researchers call: personal bateba or secondary domestic.
Unlike large altar figures, these objects were sometimes transported or moved within the domestic space.

Ref: EY8B6ANRPF