Senufo Debele statue

Senufo Debele statue, Boundiali region, Ivory Coast.

This commanding Déblé Senufo statue from the Boundiali region of the Ivory Coast, carved from a single length of dense hardwood and standing over a meter tall, exemplifies the sculptural refinement and spiritual depth of Senufo art. The figure depicts a male ancestor, its sea-shell eyes lending an otherworldly presence and evoking the power of spiritual vision. A carved necklace, low mohawk-like coiffure, and intricate scarification patterns across the body emphasize status, beauty, and initiation within Senufo society. Such statues, known as déblé, were traditionally used in Poro rituals, where they served as intermediaries between the human and ancestral worlds, embodying protective and moral forces that sustained communal balance. The figure’s elegant proportions, polished surface, and symbolic detailing reveal both the technical mastery and spiritual resonance central to Senufo woodcarving traditions.

"In the mid- to late twentieth century, communities displayed pombibele as static works of sculpture and animated them in performance. The figures sometimes stood on the ground during a ceremony for a deceased poro elder or larger funerary ceremonies dedicated to all the deceased elders in a community. On other occasions, poro initiates carried pombibele as they walked, tapping the large figures on the ground. Rarer sculptures include the much admired large birds, reproductions of which today fill West African tourist markets. By the time Senufo arts captured scholarly attention in the West at the beginning of the twentieth century, artists and patrons had already created a wealth of forms to assert diverse local identities."

- Met Museum, NY

Height: 106 cm
Weight: 9,4 kg