Fon Botchio Fetish

Fon Botchio Fetish

20th Century

This Botchio Fon Fetish from the southwest of Nigeria is Spiritually powerful. The Fon fetishes are believed to be imbued with powers to protect the owner & his family from malevolent forces and misfortune. They are used on altars and are anointed with sacrifices. The diviner has a fetish made for his client which will solve his problems, protect him, or bring down misfortune on an enemy individual. The Fon is famous for the making of fetishes at a worrying pace with complex patinas. Sometimes they can also be in the form of poles or bowls. The Fon occupy the territory that is currently the Kingdom of Dahomey, part of the Republic of Benin. 

Their traditional artistic corpus is divided into two groups: on the one hand, court art is linked to royalty. On the other hand, the best known, the divinatory statuary composed of fetishes called botchio (bochio or bocio) with a tormented or even tortured look linked to the Vodun practice. The purpose of vodun (voodoo) was to enter into a relationship with the spirits to repel harmful forces. Famous in African tribal art, these fetishes bear accessories and thick patinas based on libations and sacrifices.

Date/Period: 20th Century

Origin: Nigeria

Dimensions: 5in X 6in X 14in