Female Figure
1875–1925
- Medium
- Wood, paint, glass beads, and natural fiber
- Dimensions
- Overall: 54.1 x 7.8 x 7.5 cm (21 5/16 x 3 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
- Genre
- sculpture
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, possibly Bondoukou region, unknown maker
About
An artistic melting pot, the Bondoukou region in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire near the border with Ghana is inhabited by several ethnic groups whose cultures and artistic styles often intermingle. This figure’s rounded shapes and delicate surface decoration––which seem to imitate body scarifications––closely resemble the style of Baule carvings. The figure’s meaning and function remain a mystery.