Female figure

Object Details

Baule artist

Label Text

Baule artists create wood sculptures covered in gold (sika blawa) as prestige items displayed for public ceremonies. Other ethnic groups in central and southern Côte d'Ivoire also use this type of gold-covered regalia. This figure was collected in 1973 among the Wan peoples, who neighbor the Baule to the west. It had been used in women's initiation ceremonies for more than 20 years.

Description

Gold leaf covered wood figure of a seated female with chewing stick in her proper right hand, her proper left hand on her knee, and wearing a loin cloth, pendant earrings, multiple peaked hairstyle and ringed neck.

Provenance

Philip Ravenhill, collected Kounaïri, Côte d'Ivoire, 1974 to 1995

Exhibition History

Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021

From Baga to Yoruba: Treasures of African Art, Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw, Michigan, November 5, 2006-January 28, 2007

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Gift of Philip L. Ravenhill and Judith Timyan

Mid-20th century

Object number

95-4-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Figure

Medium

Wood, gold leaf

Dimensions

H x W x D: 24.4 x 8.2 x 8 cm (9 5/8 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/8 in.)

Geography

Kounaïri, Côte d'Ivoire

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

sika blawa

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Initiation

male

female

Record ID

nmafa_95-4-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7eb46d8c5-2e1f-4a7e-8b6b-9ea17f629927