A very nice set of eight Bateba statuettes, including a kotin buthib with arms outstretched, recalling a dance that women perform for the spirits of the ancestors to ask for their indulgence and to keep death away from the ritual circle, and also a statuette clearly linked to a fertility rite once modestly called "a silly thing" by collectors. Lobi, Burkina Faso Wood, very beautiful patina of use. H. 16 cm, to 23.5 cm Provenance : Christian Debenest Collection Publication: Pierre Bergé & Associés sale - La Collection d'un Amateur - April 8, 2016, lot 58, 59, 60, 61,78, 87 see group photo page 42.