A wonderfully exaggerated old carved wooden Bateba Thil or spirit figure with encrusted surface suggesting ritual offerings, eroded and worn feet, possibly chewed away by rodents on the shrine, and carved with only the left arm, the arm that locals believe casts magic spells. It is likely that this idol was carved to ward off witchcraft and to add some protection from magic. Lobi peoples, Burkina Faso, West Africa. The sculpture measures 14 inches tall on its simple wooden base. Provenance: Ex Harriet & Eugene Becker collection, New York, also a private New jersey collection.

fair, eroded