Lobi Wood Standing Figure, Based

One arm up, one arm down. A Lobi figure knows what it is guarding against.

This standing figure was carved in Burkina Faso in the 20th century. Lobi shrine figures, known as bateba, are understood to act on behalf of their owners, and a raised arm is widely read as a gesture warding off harm. Here one arm extends outward and up while the other stays close. The brow is heavy, the features pronounced, the coiffure crest-like, the legs short and sturdy. A long vertical crack runs through head and torso, and the gray-brown surface is weathered, with lighter patches of wear.

Twelve inches. Urgent, even standing still.