Lot: 27

Seated colon figure

Togo, Ewe

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Jens Jahn, Munich, Germany
Bruno Heimberg (1933-2023), Munich, Germany
H: 18.5 inch 1200 EUR / 2500 EUR

wood, ten-part, colourful pigments, rest., base

The genre of colon figures developed during the colonial period. It is still disputed today whether the statues were originally seen as satirical caricatures of colonial officials or simply as depictions of new subjects in local styles.

Whether the original statues were intended to be purely ornamental or also served a ritual function is also debated by anthropologists.


Jahn, Jens (ed.), "Colon, Das schwarze Bild vom weißen Mann", München 1983, ill. 99 Exhibited:

Munich, Stadtmuseum: "Colon, Das schwarze Bild vom weißen Mann", 18 February - 17 April 1983