Standing female figure · Sierra Leone, Mende · ID: 3052465
Starting price
EUR 1,500
Estimated price
EUR 2,500
Provenance
American Private CollectionSize
H: 51 cm
H: 20.1 inch
Description
wood, pigments, base
Mende female figures represent ideal beauty in the form of young women who have just been initiated into adulthood. Throughout the Mendeland, they were used for ritual acts by the various secret societies (“sande”, “njayei”, “humoi”, “yassi”).
They have a protective role and therapeutic function, and are usually
intended for curing diseases resulting from the transgression of interdictions.