Great fetish - Wood, brass, iron, pearls, raffia, resin, cord - Butti - TEKE - DR Congo

This fetish represents a male figure camped on semi-bent legs. The arms arranged along the body at a right angle surround the abdominal cavity intended to receive a magic load. The almost cubically treated face is dominated by an imposing crest hairstyle covered with brass and framed with iron. The intensity of the expression is reinforced by the protruding mouth extended by the trapezoidal beard and the vertical scars of classic teke tribal scarifications on the cheeks. It is the nature of the magic charge which gives butti fetishes their religious, therapeutic and prophylactic significance. The "magic" charge is applied in the abdomen cavity, maintained by a heated resinous material and applied in several layers, then activated by the soothsayer-healer named Nganga. Dense and hard wood. Dry patina of use.