**Originally Listed At $1300** West Africa, Northern Nigeria, Middle Benue Valley, Montol culture, ca. 1950s CE. A fabulous anthropomorphic wooden figure in the form of a female standing on stout legs with a narrow torso and arms resting parallel to her body before terminating in rounded nubs. Flanked by sizable, tab-shaped ears with annular drill holes, her round head presents a stylized visage of two petite, pierced eyes, a flat nose, and a recessed mouth, all atop an extended, tubular neck. A risen navel and pointed breasts are featured across her lengthy body. The intriguing figure has been adorned with black pigment. Size: 4.5" W x 14.5" H (11.4 cm x 36.8 cm); 14.875" H (37.8 cm) on included custom stand. Figures like this one traditionally are used by the Komtin Society, a group of male herbal healers in Montol culture, to assess a person s health and diagnose illnesses. "The Montol figure does more than stand. With arms akimbo, she challenges the world. In the ballet of African iconography, head erect, lips back, feet flat upon the ground, she performs on her own terms the first position." (Robert Farris Thompson, 1999) Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection, 2015; ex-Hammill Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, USA All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #162966品相报告: Perforations to head and fissures to verso with some loss. Expected nicks/chips, abrasions, and losses to surface, but form still clear. Liberal remains of pigment.