Description:

A Bamana (Bambara) Carved Wood Female Figure, Jo-nyeleni, Mali, the short, squat legs rising from a circular base supporting round buttocks and an elongated trunk bearing an outstretched, bulging belly and large spherical breasts, flanked by slender arms (one partially missing), the columnar neck crowned by a head with flattened, inset facial plane and crested coiffure, height 43 1/2 in., presented on a stepped plinth.

  • Provenance: Provenance: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Note: The wide hips, rotund buttocks, protruding belly and salient large breasts are suggestive of the female ideal, represented in Bamana art as jo-nyeleni--meaning "little pretty one"-- sculptures. Carved for the Jo society initiation ceremonies, these figures are washed, oiled, and dressed in loincloths and beads, and used in ritual performances.

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September 12, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

Neal Auction Company

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