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Seated Female Figure

17th–18th century

Not on view

This female figure is closely related to the example now in the French public collections. In both works, the platform is all that remains of the monumental ikoro of which they were once an integral part. The weathering on the platforms suggests that the figures were separated from the drums some time ago and that they remained in their communities long after they became detached. Given the scale of the figures, the original instruments must have been especially impressive.

Seated Female Figure, Wood, Mbembe peoples — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Seated Female Figure, Wood, Mbembe peoples

Seated Female Figure, Wood, Mbembe peoples

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Seated Female Figure

Date: 17th–18th century

Geography: Nigeria, Ewayon River region, Cross River Province

Culture: Mbembe peoples

Medium: Wood

Dimensions: H. x W. x D.: 32 5/16 × 21 1/4 × 23 1/4 in. (82.1 × 54 × 59 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: Fondation Beyeler, Basel

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.