'Protected by Spirits' is an original springstone sculpture by the Zimbabwean artists Tendai Marowa and Stanley Chideu. The sculpture presents a tall and curving face with a ring-shaped "seeing stone" atop its head. Certainly the eyes of the face, with their rough-hewn surface extending through the bridge of the nose, tie into the surface of the ring above, thus emphasizing sight into the spiritual realm. The form of the face recalls the elongated, 'archaic' faces of the paintings and sculptures of Amadeo Modigliani. This stylization adds ambiguity to the subject itself: are they a person seeing the spirits, or are they a spirit who is watching?

As is so beloved of the Shona artists, the composition of the sculpture fits the shape of the stone as it was quarried from the earth, and areas of the surface retain its original texture.

springstone
not signed
16.38 x 4.75 x 4 inches, sculpture
0.88 x 4 x 4 inches, base
17.25 x 4.75 x 4 inches, overall

Overall excellent condition with no signs of wear or damage