Vintage African Cast Bronze Sitted Male Figure/Senufo, Burkina Faso/7 1/2”H

Description

Rare, old, African cast bronze figure, 7 1/2" H, from Burkina Faso, I believe by the Senufo because of the face. Great sculpture of man sitting on a stool, with his hands on his knees. It is very abstract in the elongations and distortions of the body, the decorative jewelry,  and the subtle crosshatch designs on the body (denoting scarification?). Work has a bronze patina with traces of green coloring, usually denoting age on bronze, sometimes a color that happens when the metal is
buried.
Bronze casting  has a long history in Africa, going back to the 14th or 15th century, (although some sources say maybe as early on the 12th century) and culminating in the beautiful bronze wall plaques in Benin that record the images of the warriors that fought in the service of the Oba, King of Benin. I was told by an African friend that figures such as this one, and the other wonderful pieces in the collection I was recently able to buy, had various meanings for the individuals who owned them. They would have been taken into the “society house” (similar to a meeting place, church, shrine) and used for various rituals or individual, personal issues, as well as many times being buried with the person that owned it.
Bronzes are made in the lost wax process, where a mold is put over a wax original, the wax burned out, and the void replaced with molten metal. Each piece is unique. This piece is in very good-excellent condition, but there is a small section/indentation at the top left of the head where the bronze didn’t fill all the way. (see photo 2, 3, & 4). This is somewhat  common due to the simple, hand casting techniques used.
_gsrx_vers_779 (GS 7.0.4 (779))