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Power Figure (Bocio)

Culture
Fon artist
Date
late 19th century
Material
Wood, cloth, fiber, organic matter
possibly associated with
Zou province, Benin, Africa
possibly associated with
Littoral province, Cameroon, Africa
Classification
Sculpture
Collection
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Current Location
On View, Gallery 117
Dimensions
40 x 5 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (101.6 x 14 x 15.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Sharon McDonald Hollander and Stuart Hollander
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
1865:1981
NOTES
This sturdy, compact figure with strong hands, flexed arms, and piercing eyes set within a large round head is poised to protect its owners from the havoc-wreaking forces of evil. The cavity at the base of the figure was once filled with powerful medicines of protection. When the figure was later buried in the ground, such medicines would have drawn even more power from the underworld spirits for additional protection. "Bociþ" figures were historically placed in the palace court of the king of the Fon (the people of Benin), alongside roads, next to houses, and in the forest to safeguard innocent people as they went about their daily lives.
Jacques Kerchache (1942-2001), Paris, France

Ben Heller, Inc., New York, NY, USA

- 1981
Sharon and Stuart Hollander, St. Louis, MO

1981 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Sharon and Stuart Hollander [1]


Notes:
The main source for this provenance is an article by Saint Louis Art Museum curator John Nunley [John W. Nunley, "Sacred Space, Spirit, and Power." Saint Louis Art Museum Bulletin (St. Louis, 1983): 25].

[1] A letter dated December 30, 1981 from Ryntha Johnson, of the Saint Louis Art Museum, to Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Hollander acknowledges the gift of this object [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, November 13, 1981.
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We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.