Atti/Akan People, Ivory Coast, West Africa: Figure of a seated woman carrying a vessel on her head, mid 20th Century. Carved wood, kaolin pigment, beads.
This is an appealing classic example of Atti sculpture, with a typical elongation and rendering of the body as a set of discrete, crisply delineated volumes.
Atti sculptors make figures of this type to be placed on shrines used by members of various all-male secret societies. The barrel the figure is holding over its head represents an offering of gunpowder or other contents of value to the society.
DIMENSIONS: 23.25"H x 4.75 "W x 6"D
PROVENANCE: Private collection.
CONDITION: Good condition with evidence of handling and age. Pigment loss, minor repairs to the base and stool.
This is an appealing classic example of Atti sculpture, with a typical elongation and rendering of the body as a set of discrete, crisply delineated volumes.
Atti sculptors make figures of this type to be placed on shrines used by members of various all-male secret societies. The barrel the figure is holding over its head represents an offering of gunpowder or other contents of value to the society.
DIMENSIONS: 23.25"H x 4.75 "W x 6"D
PROVENANCE: Private collection.
CONDITION: Good condition with evidence of handling and age. Pigment loss, minor repairs to the base and stool.