Pair of Hand-Carved Bobo Crocodile Benches — Burkina Faso (104 cm & 126 cm)
$7,995.00
Pair of Hand-Carved Bobo Crocodile Benches — Burkina Faso (104 cm & 126 cm)
A rare complementary pair of vintage Bobo crocodile benches, hand-carved from dense single-block African hardwood in Burkina Faso. Exceptionally heavy, sculptural, and beautifully detailed — a statement duo for contemporary interiors, gallery spaces, and designer homes.
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Description
Pair of Hand-Carved Bobo Crocodile Benches — Burkina Faso (104 cm & 126 cm)
Carved by Bobo artisans of Burkina Faso, these remarkable crocodile benches form a rare complementary pair — each created from a single block of dense African hardwood, resulting in exceptional weight, stability, and presence.
The benches feature the distinctive Bobo carving language: a broad oval seat, rhythmic geometric tooling, and elongated crocodile forms symbolising strength, protection, and resilience. Their slight difference in length (104 cm and 126 cm) is a hallmark of authentic hand-carving and enhances their sculptural character when displayed together.
Heavy, grounded, and commanding in scale, this pair reads as functional art. They sit beautifully in modern homes, coastal interiors, minimalist spaces, and gallery environments — whether styled under a console, at the end of a bed, or as standalone sculptural anchors in an entryway.
A museum-grade duo for the serious collector or design-forward home.
FEATURES
• Authentic vintage Bobo carving
• Pair with complementary proportions
• Dense, heavy hardwood (single-block carving)
• Deep patina from age and handling
• Strong, stable construction
• Sculptural presence in modern interiors
DIMENSIONS
Bench 1: 104 cm L × 33 cm W × 30 cm H
Bench 2: 126 cm L × 33 cm W × 31 cm H
The Bwa (Bobo-Wule) people of central Burkina Faso and Mali are known for their strong continuation of animist traditions, with around 85% of the community still practicing rituals connected to the natural world. Their sculptural art — especially masks, figures, and animal forms — expresses these beliefs and is considered the primary artistic language of the Bwa.
Crocodile benches relate to the water spirit, a being associated with fertility, prosperity, and protection. In Bwa cosmology, crocodiles are guardians and intermediaries between the human and spiritual realms.
Just outside Ouagadougou, in the village of Bazoul (also known as Bazoule), crocodiles are considered sacred. Local people share their pond with more than one hundred crocodiles, moving among them freely — even sitting on them — because the animals are believed to hold the souls of ancestors. According to village history, crocodiles once led women to a hidden water source during a devastating drought, saving the community.
The annual ceremony Koom Lakre honours this relationship, where villagers bring offerings and ask the crocodiles for blessings of health, prosperity, and a good harvest.
