Bete Wood Figural Pounder Pestle Côte d'Ivoire
Width: 3.0
Depth: 3.0
Description
Today the Bete people of the Ivory Coast live along the Sassandra River in large villages organized according to family lineages. Like neighboring peoples such as the We or the Dan, the Bete carve and use figures of extraordinary form and inventiveness to represent important chiefs and honored ancestors during funerary ceremonies when they were presented to the village as part of a procession. This is a small carved figure with a scarification pattern on the cheeks (which could Bete signature on this figure). Its calm expression and its standing position reflect the figure representing a person of some importance, a leader, a social elite, or a priest. This Bete figure shows stylistic input from neighboring peoples such as the Baule.
Height (In) 36.0
Width (In) 3.0
Depth (In) 3.0
146854
Approximate Age: 20th Century
People: Bete
Country of Origin: Côte d'Ivoire
Material
Condition
Overall Condition: Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.