Wooden figures

I am seeking some help in identifying this group of four wooden figures.
I think that they could be of Yoruba origin, they certainly have some of the facial characteristics found on some Yoruba sculptures.

Three have no arms at all and the fourth one has the left arm raised above the head and it has a hole drilled through the hand, the other three have a similar hole drilled in their torso. The tallest is 22cms without the base - I have added the simple bases.

When viewed from the side you can also see they all have a hole through the protrusion at their waist level. This side view also shows the simply carved two pronged forked base on three of the figures, the smaller of the three has a single pointed prong base, it also has a pointed conical hat.

The view from the rear reveals that the forked base has a smooth transition on one side while a step has been carved on the other side. This view also shows that the single pronged figure was carved that way there is no question that a second fork could have broken off.

This view shows the side with the step and also reveals the strong carving of the profile of the figures.

The opposite view with the smooth transition also shows the difference in the patination between the two sides, this is best illustrated in the next view with one figure reversed.

This next closer look shows that one side seems to have been handled considerably more giving it a rich brown patina.


The small figure with the single prong and the hat seems to show the most wear and handling.
I get the impression that this group must have been pushed into something ( the ground ? ) to be displayed and wonder if they could have served some sort of educational purpose.
I would be very pleased to read any views or opinions that may help me shed some light on just what I have got here.

Well I have found the answer to my own question regarding the four figures, great tool this internet.



They must have been in a boat similar to this one.
The holes are for spears, clubs and paddles - obvious when you see it.

I could not decide if these were tourist art or not before but now I know.

I still like them and they will remain in my collection as I think they show a reasonable amount of the character that I expect from an African carving. They still have a nice patina, someone must have handled them a lot or polished them when dusting !
Also I am a very small budget and cannot afford the wonderous works that I see in the major auction haouse catalogues.

Thanks for looking
Ian

Hi Ian

I'm not one of those who believe that tourist art can't possibly be good (although I agree with the herd in believing that most most of it is pretty awful). Some is good and quite interesting, and I put your wooden figures in that category. Just the challenge of figuring out what they are makes them worth keeping and displaying. If I owned them, I would challenge guests to tell me what they are and what the holes were for.

Thanks for sharing these.

Steve Price

Hi Ian

It is obvious for me that your statues have a great amount of African character. The color, the shapes and the soul that it reflects is obvious. Its a great find and a wonderous work of art !


Artistically, it is true that most tourist African art is pretty awful. They lack of authenticity. But....with a good eye, there are good finds. Your statues are wonderful.

Authentic African tribal arts are artistiaclly marvellous. But.......most of the wonderous works of art that you see in major auction houses, museums, and private collections are simply disgusting.

Rare are peices that have been freely and willingly given to people as gifts. Most of these wonderous African art that you find in these famous museums have been stoolen, robed, usurped from their owners. History reveals numberous miserable events. Killings and massacres have witness the thirst of humans willing to possess and to conquer.

Still today.....pillage continues and will perpetuate until the day people will stop buying these AUTHENTIC works of art. They belong to AFRICA and their PEOPLE!

Thank you
Joseph Arthur