Lot A108 - Teke Power Figure (Buti)

Teke Power Figure (Buti)

Teke, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Height: 33 cm

Carved wooden standing figure with elongated head, heavy-lidded almond-shaped eyes, and a pronounced open mouth. The figure stands with bent knees and the hands placed on the abdomen, while a prominent crest-like projection rises from the top of the head.

Figures of this type are associated with Teke Buti power figures, traditionally used as protective and ritual objects. Such figures originally contained a magical charge—often placed in a cavity in the abdomen—believed to harness protective spiritual forces.

Dark brown patina with signs of age and handling. 20th century.