Standing female figure "lü ma"

---

Description

light brown wood, dark brown patina, metal teeth, scarifications on back, abdomen and neck, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage, on wooden base;
wooden figures, called “lü ma”, are not thought to represent ritual ancestors or spirits, they are rather portraits of living persons, even carrying the name of the represented human. Typically a portrait of a woman esteemed by her husband - a chief or important figure - who commissioned the work from a sculptor. The husband would take possession of it with some pomp, then hide it away jealously, showing it only on special occasions.

---

Comparing literature

Fischer, Eberhard, Himmelheber, Hans, Die Kunst der Dan, Zürich 1976, ill. 172 Johnson, Barbara C., Four Dan Sculptors, San Francisco 1987, p. 79, ill. 22

---