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Losso / Lamba Fetish Figure, Togo #729
$ 1,650.00 $ 825.00
- Losso / Lamba Fetish Figure, Togo #729
- Hard and heavy wood with a sacrificial patina of wear.
- In northern Togo, close to the Ewe Voodoo culture, are established the Lamba, named Losso or Nawdba by the colonial administration, they use anthropomorphic fetishes with a summary structure, in order to protect themselves against multiple harms. They sometimes placed them in their granaries or even in hen houses.
- We can also find the Lamba in Benin and in the region bordering Ghana.
- Measurements: 25×10×9 cm
- Condition: Fair
- Mid to late 20th Century
This large hardwood figure displays a Phallic Form with simple facial features descending to very large and imposing trunk with a cylindrical appearance and a protruding navel. The trunk features a beautifully engraved "sunburst" of engraved scarification radiating in all directions. Traditionally these Figures have small, powerful "chevron" shaped legs resting on an integrated platform base. Arms are nonexistent and rarely expressed.
Losso Art has a Cubist appearance, and now prized by lovers of Minimalist, Abstract Art.
Often the Worship and Devotion paid to these statues were done in front of the doors of Village Houses. The Statuaries were Enshrined in front of the Houses and sometimes stationed in their Granaries or even in Hen Houses. These Figures were believed to ensure the Protection, Fertility, Prosperity and Good Fortune for those dwelling within.
Losso Peoples are are an Ethnic and linguistic Group living in the Doufelgou District (Préfecture) of the Kara Region in Northern Togo, West Africa. They are neighbors to Ewé, Kabiès, and Ouatchi Ethnic Groups. Mainly living from agriculture and hunting.