Collection Gos W. Sannes (1909 - 2000), The Hague

Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Sannes (Gos W.), African 'primitives': function and form in African masks and figure, Lochem, 1968, pp. 100-101

The Lobi are an agricultural people whose social and religious life is deeply rooted in spiritual practices. Bateba figures play a central role in their belief system and are passed down through generations as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. Figures of this type were placed within a family shrine to serve as an assistant to the protective spirits. Offerings of chicken blood, millet beer, and shea butter were regularly applied to its surface to secure the benevolence and protection of the spirit world. An early example of the “Kelkoa” style, this figure displays the characteristic prominent eyes associated with the group. According to Werner Fischer, the “spectacle-like” rings surrounding the eyes are said to reproduce the facial expression of a person in a state of possession.