Ancestor figure – Wood – Senufo – Ivory Coast

Stylistic wooden ancestor figure from the Senufo tribe of Ivory Coast. There is a typical hornbill bird sitting on top of the figure. Hornbill figures, called Sejen or Porpianong, were used by the Lo and Poro societies. A symbol of fertility and the original ancestor cult, the hornbill was the mythological founder of the Senufo people.

Provenance: Manfred Schäfer collection, ex- gallery owner from Ulm, Germany.