699 - Western Africa map

Along the coasts of Guinea Gulf...

756 - Sao snake head

Chad
H. 4 cm x W. 9.5 cm
10-16th century
Private collection (France)

757 - Sao crock

Chad
Diameter: 8,5 cm x H. 8 cm
10-16th century
Private collection (France)

758 - Sao small masked dancer

A rather vague but intriguing zoomorphic statuette, with a profile resembling that of a... plantigrade! The only animal that could have this shape is the hyena, the hunchback appearing in profile. We remain prudent in our interpretation and may see in this part a masked dancer, wearing something around the neck and chest.
H. 12.5 cm x W. 5.5 cm
10-16th century
Private collection (France)

759 - Sao head of an animal

Chad
This is a somewhat indefinable animal because of the erosion of the piece. It could be a lion or buffalo. If it is a buffalo with visible horns and a tail on its back? Or a lion, a large male with a great mane, howling, open mouthed, tail at its side?
H. 8 cm x W. 11.5 cm x D. 7.5 cm
18th century
Private collection (France)

762 - Sao small round head, in a shape of full moon

Chad
Diameter: 5 cm
10-16th century
Seen on a famous online auction website

802 - Sao turtle, bead, amulet or cultual object

Chad
H. 5 cm x L. 10 cm
11-16th century
Private collection (France)

884 - Sao terracotta zoomorphic sculpture

Origin: Chad
Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high x 12" (30.5cm) depth
Circa: 10 th Century AD to 16 th Century AD
$6,500.00
Location: United States
www.artoftheancientworld.com
www.barakatgallery.com

888 - Sao animal, a pearl or an amulet ?

Chad
L. 6 cm x H. 3,5 cm
Intentionally pierded piece to wear about, in order to attract protection
11-16th century
Private collection (France)

889 - Sao head

Chad
H. 11 cm
11-16th century
Private collection (France)

918 - Sao head of a feline savage race

H. 8 cm
13-17th century
Salle des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles
Pierre Bergé & Associés
5 et 7 juin 2007
www.pba-auctions.com

1003 - Sao terracotta beads

13-16th century
Private collection (U.S.A.)
www.africadirect.com

1013 - Sao terra cotta beads as a necklace

L. 40 cm
Chad
16-17th century
Private collection (U.S.A.)
www.africadirect.com

1014 - Sao necklace

L. 28 inches
Private collection (U.S.A.)
www.africadirect.com

1016 - Sao beads as pierced amulets

H. 6 & 7 cm
Private collection (France)
www.afrart.com

1017 - Sao animal beads

H. 5, 6 & 7 cm
Private collection (France)
www.afrart.com

1018 - Sao anthropomorphic amulets

H. 6 & 7 cm
Private collection (France)
www.afrart.com

1019 - Sao little male statue with a four leaf clover in his back

A four leaf clover pattern carved in the back of the statue...
H. 17 cm
Private collection (France)
www.afrart.com

1020 - Sao crock and plug with geometrical patterns

H. 17 cm
Private collection (France)
www.afrart.com

1021 - Sao buffalo-toad... or hippopotamus

H. 5 cm x L. 7 cm x W. 3.5 cm
Private collection (France)
Found in N'Djamena (Chad), along the Chari river
doyb@club-internet.fr

1022 - Sao large terracotta bead

H. 4 cm x l. 5 cm
15-17th century
Chad
Seen on a famous auctions website...

1024 - Sao male figure

One example among the marvellous collection of La Rochelle's Museum of Natural History... encounting more than 16,500 pieces !
perso.orange.fr/musees-la-rochelle

1025 - Sao terracotta beads

Different diameters
13-16th century
Private collection (U.S.A.)
www.africadirect.com

1052 - Sao head

H. 8 cm
12-15th centuryChad, Cameroun
Jean-Paul & Annie Lebeuf Collection
Photo: Dominique Darbois

1053 - Sao bead or amulet, in a shape of a hippopotamus

H. 6.5 cm
Source: Jean-Paul et Annie Lebeuf
Photo: Dominique Darbois

1054 - Sao multi headed funerary statue

H. 16 cm x W. 13,5 cm x D. 6 cm
10-13th century
Cameroun, Chad
Sujaro African Gallery and Design, San Francisco (U.S.A.)
www.sujaro.com

1079 - Sao pottery

H. 9.5 cm x W. 8 cm
Private collection (France)

1085 - Sao funerary anthropozoomorphic head

H. 19 cm x W. 12 cm
Private collection (France)

1086 - Sao head

H. 9 cm
Private collection (France)

1095 - Sao vessel, with a top

H. 10 cm
Private collection (France)

1096 - Sao weight

Diameter: 4 cm
Private collection (France)

1098 - Sao head

Private collection (France)

2054 - Sao weight for fishing net

11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2095 - Sao face head

11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2096 - Sao same head, but profile view

11-13th century
Private collection (France)
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2097 - Sao hippopotamus (back view)

H. 6,5 cm x W. 7 cm
11-13th century
Georges de Pachtère Collection (France)

2098 - Sao hippopotamus (face view)

11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2099 - Sao head

11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2100 - Sao head

11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2102 - Sao male head

H. 6 cm
Jean-Paul & Annie Lebeuf
Photo: Dominique Darbois

2122 - Sao fragment of a head

Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2123 - Sao millstone

H. 14.7 cm x W. 5 cm
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2124 - Sao head of an animal

H. 9 cm x W. 7,5 cm
11-13th century
Collection Georges de Pachtère, France

2163 - Sao male bust

2164 - Sao magic statue

2189 - Sao little male head

H. 9 cm
www.sao-tchad.org

2190 - Sao hippopotamus

Preserved by I.C.O.M.

2226 - Sao male statue

H. 44.3 cm
14-16th century
Barbier-Müller Museum, Geneva

2241 - Sao male representation

H. 18 cm
Source: Jean-Paul & Annie Lebeuf
Photo: Dominique Darbois

2242 - Sao statue of an ancestor, from Tago sanctuary

Cameroun, Chad, Nigeria
Tago excavations site
H. 24.5 cm
11-16h century

2263 - Statue of a male ancestor

H. 35 cm
Tago site
Jean-Paul Lebeuf excavating
Musée de l’Homme, Paris
Photo: José Oster

2264 - Sao little male head

H. 6.5 cm
Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, La Rochelle
Brought back by Jean-Paul Lebeuf
Photo: Ina Bandy

2265 - Sao male head

H. 17.5 cm
Fort Lamy excavations
Léon Palès excavating
Photo: Ina Bandy

2266 - Sao male head

H. 20.3 cm
Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, La Rochelle
Photo: Ina Bandy

2286 - Sao male bust

11-16th centuru
Private collection
Tago excavation site
Photo: E. Berne

2287 - Sao male head

H. 22 cm
Private collection
Photo: Schaedler
Ex-collection Hans Wolf, Zürich

2308 - Sao pieces and objects set

12-15th century
Private collection, Bruxelles (Belgium)

2338 - Sao zoomorphic head

2403 - Sao funerary head

Private collection
Photo: E. Berne, Films Caravelle

2501 - Sao beads and weights

2566 - Sao statue

Private collection

2567 - Sao statue

Private collection

2568 - Sao head

Private collection

2569 - Sao head

Private collection

2570 - Sao funerary statue

Private collection

2571 - Sao funerary head

Private collection

2572 - Sao funerary head

Private collection

2593 - Sao bead

Private collection

2598 - Sao little terracotta objects

2599 - Sao utilitarian terracotta pieces

2616 - Sao piece

These objects seem to come from places of worship inside the mounds emerging from the low-lying plain running up to the southern edge of lake Chad. Zoomorphic items were produced from the 2nd century BC onwards, however it is only in the 12th and 13th centuries AD that large number of terracotta anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures, measuring between 1.5 cm and 35 cm high, were produced. These statuettes were found alongside copper alloy items, small human figurines, and more especially many items of jewellery, sometimes adorned with small-scale human heads or animal forms.
icom.museum/redlist/afrique/english/page08.htm

2773 - Sao male statue

H. 7 inches
Tago Excavations site (Chad)
Private collection (U.S.A.)

3177 - Animal sao dressé

H. 15.5 cm

3250 - Sao beads

Private collection (U.S.A.)

3251 - Sao beads

Private collection (U.S.A.)

3252 - Sao fragmentary statue

12-13th century
Private collection (U.S.A.)

3254 - Sao male bust (front view)

H. 14,5 inches
www.ryannwillis.com (U.S.A.)

3255 - Sao male bust (side view)

H. 14,5 inches
www.ryannwillis.com (U.S.A.)

3256 - Sao male statue

H. 13 inches
www.ryannwillis.com (U.S.A.)

3257 - Sao male statue

H. 13 inches
www.ryannwillis.com (U.S.A.)

3277 - Sao little ornated vase

Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3345 - Sao zoomorphic head

H. 8 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3354 - Sao anthropomorphic little statue

H. 5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3355 - Sao male little statue

H. 5.80 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3362 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 12 cm
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3363 - Sao human representation

H. 5.8 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3365 - Sao waterhorse

H. 7 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3368 - Sao human representation

H. 8.4 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao, J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3369 - Sao anthropomorphic head

H. 6.8 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao, J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3370 - Sao anthropomorphic statue

H. 7.5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao, J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3371 - Sao beverage little vase

H. 14 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3372 - Sao waterhorse

H. 12 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3373 - Sao anthropomorphic or zoomorphic representation

Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3375 - Sao zoomorphic statue

H. 11.5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3376 - Sao waterhorse

H. 6.5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3378 - Sao zoomorphic statue

H. 8,5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3379 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 10 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3380 - Sao fish representation

H. 9.5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3381 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 12 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3382 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 17,5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3383 - Sao little ornated vase

H. 9.5 cm
Photo : D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3384 - Sao beverage vase

H. 20 cm
Photo : D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.–P. et A. Lebeuf

3385 - Sao fragements of broken pots

Photo : D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.–P. et A. Lebeuf

3386 - Sao ovale cup

H. 8 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.–P. et A. Lebeuf

3387 - Sao beverage vase

H. 18 cm
Photo : D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.–P. et A. Lebeuf

3392 - Sao zoomorphic statue

H. 14,5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3393 - Sao anthropomorphic little head

H. 14 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3399 - Sao zoomorphic statue

H. 9 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3400 - Sao little horse head

H. 3.8 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3401 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 18 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3402 - Sao anthropomorphic head

H. 25,4 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3403 - Sao three-horned head

H. 10 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3404 - Sao three-horned head

H. 12,5 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3405 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

Private collection (France)

3410 - Sao anthropomorphic representation

H. 4.3 cm
Photo: D. Darbois
Les Arts des Sao
J.-P. et A. Lebeuf

3445 - Sao head

H. 6,5 cm
Don de R. Gatau
Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, La Rochelle
Photo: J.M. Rieupeyrout

3449 - Sao funerary male head