Gaoua, southern Burkina Faso
Lobi Carver: Sikiré Kambiré  (1896-1963)

Wood 
Mid 20th Century
Length: 21 in
Other – Ritual Symbolism

This rare Lobi stool is by Sikiré Kambiré (1896 – 1963) of Gaoua, known as the Master of Gaoua, a region and city located in southern Burkina Faso.  It has an elegantly carved Janus-headed finial (male and female faces) with angle features and is carved on both sides.  The two heads back-to-back are surmounted by a blackened half-moon headdress.  There are three legs, two straight and one projecting diagonally and possibly represented at the bottom by the shape of an antelope hoof.  This elongated stool form is classic for the region and is carved from one piece of wood.  

Sikiré Kambiré  was a talented Lobi sculptor, who was trained in a renowned school known as Gbokho Gbalathi by a great master sculptor named Okuena Palenfo. He is one of the first sculptors in the region to have worked on commission for the colonial administrators (Labouret 1931, p. 188). His works are now installed not only with diviner-healers but also in private and public collections around the world.

Resource: ‘Les tribus du rameau Lobi’ by Henri Labouret