Vintage 68\" Hand-Carved West African Statues – Matched Pair (5\'8\" Tall) For Sale
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Rare, gallery-scale matched pair of vintage West African musician sculptures (Griots), originating from the Senufo/Mandé cultural region (circa mid 20th century). Standing an impressive 68 inches tall (5\'8\"), each figure is monolithically hand-carved from a single trunk of dense tropical hardwood onto a heavy, integral pedestal base. Key Details:- Dimensions: 68\" H (5 ft 8 in) each, true life-size architectural scale. - Monolithic Openwork Carving: Hewn from single logs with zero glued joints. Features complex, freestanding pierced openwork in the nearly 3-foot-long drum straps and bent arms. - Ethnographic Detail: Depicts ceremonial drummers with curved ball end beaters, Fulani-style conical hats (tengada) with geometric chevron relief, Sudanic facial architecture with cheek scarification, striated beards, and carved protective gris-gris amulets on both the chest and back. - Finish & Condition: Untouched oxidized charcoal and warm amber wood patina with original distressed kaolin clay and ochre earth pigments on the hats. Structurally intact with all freestanding straps, beaters, and hat brims unbroken.