Standing female figure with receptacle
Mali, Bamana
not available anymore
Provenance
Hélène Leloup, Paris, FranceMichel Gaud, Saint Tropez, France
Size
H: 66,5 cm
H: 26.2 inch
Description
wood, base
Such large female figures were first shown in 1960 by Robert Golwater at the Museum of Primitive Art in New York.
They belong to the “jo” and “gwan” society and are called by the Bamana “things to look at” (“mafilè fènw”).
They serve to attract the attention of the spectators and those involved in the rituals and performances, thus underlining the importance of the events.
Comparing literature
Museum of Primitive Art (ed.), Bambara sculpture from the Western Sudan, New York 1960, ill. 87Publications
AHDRC: 0077837