Power Figure (Bocio)
- Artist Culture
- Fon artist
- Date
- late 19th century
- Material
- Wood, cloth, fiber, organic matter
- possibly associated with
- Zou province, Western Africa and the Guinea Coast, Benin, Africa
Littoral province, Western Africa and the Guinea Coast, Cameroon, Africa - Classification
- Sculpture
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 117
- Dimensions
- 40 x 5 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (101.6 x 14 x 15.9 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Sharon McDonald Hollander and Stuart Hollander
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 1865:1981
NOTES
This sturdy, compact figure with strong hands, flexed arms, and piercing eyes set within a large round head is poised to protect its owners from the havoc-wreaking forces of evil. The cavity at the base of the figure was once filled with powerful medicines of protection. When the figure was later buried in the ground, such medicines would have drawn even more power from the underworld spirits for additional protection. "Bociþ" figures were historically placed in the palace court of the king of the Fon (the people of Benin), alongside roads, next to houses, and in the forest to safeguard innocent people as they went about their daily lives.
Provenance
Jacques Kerchache (1942-2001), Paris, France
Ben Heller, Inc., New York, NY, USA
- 1981
Sharon and Stuart Hollander, St. Louis, MO
1981 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Sharon and Stuart Hollander [1]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is an article by Saint Louis Art Museum curator John Nunley [John W. Nunley, "Sacred Space, Spirit, and Power." Saint Louis Art Museum Bulletin (St. Louis, 1983): 25].
[1] A letter dated December 30, 1981 from Ryntha Johnson, of the Saint Louis Art Museum, to Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Hollander acknowledges the gift of this object [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, November 13, 1981.
Ben Heller, Inc., New York, NY, USA
- 1981
Sharon and Stuart Hollander, St. Louis, MO
1981 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Sharon and Stuart Hollander [1]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is an article by Saint Louis Art Museum curator John Nunley [John W. Nunley, "Sacred Space, Spirit, and Power." Saint Louis Art Museum Bulletin (St. Louis, 1983): 25].
[1] A letter dated December 30, 1981 from Ryntha Johnson, of the Saint Louis Art Museum, to Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Hollander acknowledges the gift of this object [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, November 13, 1981.