Standing female figure "d'mba"

wood, rich blackish brown patina, head with projecting chin and crested coiffure, both hands up to the chin, incised geometrical patterns, slightly dam., missing parts (tip of the chin, disc-shaped base backside along rim);
"d'mba" figures can be either male or female, quite often they appear in pairs. They were kept in shrines outside the villages and were associated with plant and human fertility. The sculptures serve as intermediaries between the people and the ancestor spirits. Offerings were left
for the spirits at the shrines, and the figures were greatly respected in the hope that they might bring good fortune and benefits from the
spirits.