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THBEarly 20th C. African Senufo Wood & Textile Kafigeledjo
Lot 187a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Feb 6, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-02-06 10:00:00
2019-02-06 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Ethnographic | Fine Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-fine-art-3848
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (389)
- Lot Description
Africa, Ivory Coast, Senufo peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. An interesting example of a "kafigeledjo" (oracle figure) from the Ivory Coast. The figure is tall with abstract anthropomorphic features, with cowrie shells comprising its eyes and mouth, and wispy feathers for hair. From each sloping shoulder droops an elongated, wooden-core arm wrapped in rough-textured fabric, and the body and legs are of similar composition. Beige and orange-hued spotted adornments are painted across all mud-coated surfaces. Size: 7.5" W x 25.75" H (19 cm x 65.4 cm).
The kafigeledjo are created and used by Senufo divination specialists so as to provoke a sense of anxiety and guilt in those who have committed wrongdoings but have yet to be punished. Some of the most quixotic of all African works of art, kafigeledjo figures are consulted to determine the specific misdeeds and untruths perpetuated by those of lower moral standards within society.
Literally translating to "he whom speaks the truth," the name "kafigeledjo" applied to both the shrouded figures themselves as well as the actual truth-seeking ceremony conducted by the spiritual elders. Depending on the crime committed, an individual's punishment may only be superficial in the physical sense, but rather extreme as far as the penalty against one's soul or prospects in the afterlife are concerned. Due to the perceived magnitude of the kafigeledjo's powers, only elder, more-experienced Senufo diviners are allowed to lay eyes on the figure let alone consult its nebulous wisdom.
For further discussions on kafigeledjo figures, please see: LaGamma, Alisa. "Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2000, p. 23-26.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#139413Age-commensurate surface wear, fading to pigmentation, fraying to some areas of textile, with some loosening to stitching, otherwise intact and very good. Nice earthen deposits and traces of pigmentation throughout.Condition
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