A Rare Kissi Piomdo Sculpture. This finely crafted wooden effigy is adorned with red textiles, a thick cotton textile is sewn around the sculpture and embellished with some cowrie shells. This sculpture and others like it are sometimes used to house mysterious stone relics found in Sierra Leone and Liberia. These small stone figures known as "Pomdo" have been discovered buried in the ground by local Kissi and Mende peoples. Little is known about the creators of these carvings. Sometimes when they are found they are housed in a container such as this with a figure head on top. Although the Kissi are not known for wood carvings, rare examples such as this exist. The Piomdo is INTACT*** There seems to be an object sealed inside that can be heard rolling around when the object is turned around. The container is sealed and sewn closed so we did not try to open the vessel, but it appears to have a Pomdo inside. The sculpture measures 18 inches tall. Kissi peoples, Sierra leone / Liberia, west Africa. Provenance: A Private New Jersey collection.

Fair, weathered, old stress fracture