Female statuette "mu po"
Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke
sold
EUR 1,200
Provenance
Maurice W. Shapiro, New York, USAChristie’s New York, 11 November 1993, lot 103
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany
Size
H: 15 cm
H: 5.9 inch
Description
wood, dark brown patina, one hand up to the chin, accentuated navel, slightly dam. (right hand, nape), missing parts (right foot, backside), block-like socle;
“mu po” are connected with fertility. It is supposed that the statuette depicts a pregnant woman with her hand under her chin. This symbol of maternity occurs frequently in the arts of the grassfields, relating to the fertility of the group and of the chiefdom.