Lobi Erotic Figural Group

Two figures joined, carved without apology or concealment.

This erotic figural group is Lobi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, 20th century, in carved wood. Lobi carvers made figures known as bateba for household shrines, where they are understood to act as intermediaries with spirits, and scholars connect coupled figures like this one with concerns about fertility and family. One figure stands upright, long-necked, with arms wrapped around the other, who bends forward at the waist. The surface is rough, dark and pitted, with paler wood showing through. Side-on, the two make a single sculptural shape. It stands 29.5 inches high.

Serious carving about a serious subject.