Carved female 'kosi' figure

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Kosi figure, late 19th/early 20th century
Central Africa, Gabon
Wood with cotton skirt

Donated by Albert Stanley Smith, 1956
Museum number 1956-402-11

This figure was at the centre of a complex belief system. It was used by a traditional healer to identify the cause of illness. The figure's penetrating gaze is intensified through glass inlays