Fetish Figure – Terracotta – Makonde – Tanzania

Stylistic terracotta fetish doll from the MAKONDE people of Tanzania. The  statue is beautifully carved with a powerful appearance. Good condition with traces of tribal use and a nice aged patina.

The Makondé are one of the most prolific art producing cultures in East Africa and their works are known worldwide. Although often identified with their wildly abstract and sensual “shetani” carvings, they also have a long tradition of ritual art, including a wide variety of helmet masks, male and female ancestor figures, and an almost endless variety of utilitarian objects, often decorated with human heads. The women used clay to make the terracotta masks and figures for their ceremonies.

Provenance: former private collection from the Netherlands.