Antique Lobi Ritual Altar Snake – Burkina Faso

Weight: 200.1 g (7.06 oz). Base diameter: 8.9 cm (3.50 in). Height: 4.7 cm (1.85 in).

This compact Lobi ritual object takes the form of a coiled serpent rising from a circular base, its stylized head emerging with schematic features and a bifurcated crest. The surface shows a well-developed patina, consistent with prolonged ritual handling and exposure.

Among the Lobi peoples of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, such figures are associated with domestic altars and spiritual practice. Serpents hold protective and symbolic significance, often linked to intermediary forces between the human and spiritual realms. Objects of this kind were typically placed on shrines to attract, appease, or channel spiritual entities, and were activated through offerings and ritual use.

The restrained, almost abstract rendering—combined with the solid, weighty casting—reflects the aesthetic vocabulary of Lobi ritual art, where expressive power and spiritual efficacy take precedence over naturalistic detail.

m24-xa