|
|
African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
|
|
|
|
|
Female Figure
Northern Angola; Shinji peoples, 19th century
Wood; H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Provenance: George Feher, New York; [Hélène Leloup, New York, before 1989]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1989
|
|
|
The rich corpus of human representations created by Chokwe and culturally related artists has included, among others, depictions of historical elites as well as carvings used by ritual specialists. The combination of non-royal and royal iconography in this delicate female figure from the Barbier-Mueller collection makes a definitive interpretation difficult. While the rendering of highly stylized hands and knees formally relates to Chokwe non-royal arts, the figure's refined execution and emphatic gesture (left hand touching the chest, right hand upwards touching the chin) suggest the portrayal of a royal female ancestor. Stylistic features such as its distinctive coiffure have led scholars to attribute the work to a Shinji sculptor.
|
|
|
Back to main page for this exhibition
Back to images from this exhibition
