Female Figure
Kantana
1900–1975
- Medium
- Wood, pigment, resin, and abrus seeds
- Dimensions
- 54 × 20.4 × 16.6 cm (21 1/4 × 8 × 6 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- Sculpture
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
ritualsupernaturaldangerhealingplant materialfigurepainting (image making)appliqué (technique)sculpturewood (plant material)medicineabstract figuresafrican Artarts of AfricaCoastal West Africacarvingkantanaritual objectsresinseedspigmentspiritual
About
The function of figures like this one would have varied from community to community. The powdery ochre rubbed onto its surface has spiritual connotations, and this pigment has been applied in imitation of a real-life practice of coloring the human body. The red abrus seeds pressed into resin on the figure’s chest and head were used in local medicines and suggest healing and danger.