Tall Lobi Bateba Phuwe Protective Spirit Figure, Hand-Carved African Wood Sculpture, Burkina Faso, 102 cm

A Guardian Carved in Wood

Standing a commanding 102 cm tall, this is a Lobi bateba phuwe, a protective spirit figure from the people of Burkina Faso in West Africa. And the good news first: this is very much a benevolent guardian, a Schutzgeist, not a troublemaker. Carved by hand from a single piece of dense wood, the female figure rises with a crested coiffure, a fiercely watchful face and a smaller spirit head emerging at the base, a guardian standing upon a guardian.

The deep, glowing patina is the work of decades, and the details that collectors prize are all present and correct: the natural "eyes" in the grain, the soft white traces of kaolin clay rubbed into the surface during ritual use, and the fine vertical cracks running through the wood. Far from flaws, these are the calling cards of age and authenticity that tell you this piece has genuinely lived a life before yours.

Styling & Collectors Inspiration

A figure with this much presence wants room to breathe. Stand it in an entrance hall, beside a fireplace or in a reading corner where its height can do the talking, then build a wider conversation of world art around it.

• Keep the African dialogue going with our Vintage Ivory Coast Tribal Mask, carved just across the border from Lobi country.
• Add raffia and texture with the Mid-20th Century Chokwe Mask for a layered gallery wall.
• Echo the tribal sculptural language at a smaller scale with our Shona Stone Carvings.
• For a cross-continental pairing of towering hand-carved figures, set it near the Large Balinese Hanuman Statue.

Details

• Origin: Lobi people, Burkina Faso, West Africa
• Type: Bateba phuwe protective spirit figure, female form
• Material: Solid hand-carved hardwood with rich natural patina
• Figure dimensions: approx. 102 cm high, 9 cm wide, 15 cm deep
• Integral base: approx. 6 cm high, 17 cm wide, 23 cm deep
• Weight: approx. 5.4 kg
• Authenticity markers: natural grain "eyes", white kaolin residue, vertical age cracks
• Condition: good honest age-related wear consistent with ritual use and display
• From a private collection

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