Standing female figure "jo nyeleni" ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3034937

Description

wood, rich slightly shiny dark and reddish brown patina, voluminous round shoulders and prominent breasts, big funnel-shaped ears, drilled pupils, probably once set with small metal or shell discs, the left foot inscribed backside: “AJP1115”, slightly dam., minor missing parts (ears, left hand), cracks (head), rep. (right foot), socle;
the “jo nyeleni” figures embody the spirits of the women who once founded the cult of “jo”. They represent the ideal of a beautiful young woman. The figures appeared at big initiation festivities which only took place in a seven years turn. Mask figures called “yodenw” carried them from one village to the next accompanied by the sound of a special gong, called “mango”.

The object Standing female figure “jo nyeleni” with the object ID 3034937 was last part of the auction 73rd tribal art auction at May 25, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 122.

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Publications

Arts et peuples du Mali, Amiens 1994, ill. 95