TÉKÉ
TÉKÉ
Itio-type Téké statuette.
20th century.Height: 42 cm.An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 6AF-3687, indicates the date 1942 ± 8 years.Hardwood. ‘Filling’ of heavy clay, wrapped in fabric. Wicker cordage. Traces of red and white patina. The headdress, of the Mupani type, is shaped like a crest. Fine vertical scarification marks (mabina), characteristic of the group, run vertically across the face. The triangular nose extends the mid-frontal mark characteristic of dignitaries. The absence of a neck and the direct extension of the head – shaped like a truncated cone at the top – together with the mass of the body, result in a stocky figure exuding great power. A large, heavy central weight (bilongo) gives the body a conical shape. The ventral mirror must have been torn off when the fetish was desacralised.
TÉKÉ
Itio-type Téké statuette.
20th century.Height: 42 cm.An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 6AF-3687, indicates the date 1942 ± 8 years.Hardwood. ‘Filling’ of heavy clay, wrapped in fabric. Wicker cordage. Traces of red and white patina. The headdress, of the Mupani type, is shaped like a crest. Fine vertical scarification marks (mabina), characteristic of the group, run vertically across the face. The triangular nose extends the mid-frontal mark characteristic of dignitaries. The absence of a neck and the direct extension of the head – shaped like a truncated cone at the top – together with the mass of the body, result in a stocky figure exuding great power. A large, heavy central weight (bilongo) gives the body a conical shape. The ventral mirror must have been torn off when the fetish was desacralised.
