Akan Statue, Ivory Coast

Statue representing a female figure standing on a base composed of four stylized birds placed back to back. The body and head are slender. The torso, back, neck and face are scarified. The head is flat and is topped with a structured hairstyle of two high buns and two plaits falling on the sides. One of the plaits has a local restoration made with small metal staples. The face has an astonished expression amplified by large open eyes in which white pigment remains. Small incisions have been made to signify the eyelashes. The half-open rectangular mouth reveals rows of teeth. Two small ankle bracelets adorn the right leg. An iron nail is planted in one of the birds. This bird also bears an old inventory number: 4652. This statue is a rare and atypical representation of the Akan cultural era. Several elements can take us back to the Fanti, Atié or even Abron peoples.
This unusual statue in its style and representation is the powerful testimony of a people in response to difficulties encountered on the spiritual level.
Wood with a beautiful patina of use with remains of red and white pigments in the hollows, iron, beads.
Height: 52 cm
Akan family, Ivory Coast
First half of the 20th century
Provenance: - Former American collection
- Former German collection
- Tribal Art Sale, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, October 31, 2017, lot n°18
- Galerie Noir d'Ivoire, Paris, exhibition catalog Trait d'union, Parcours des mondes 2019, p. 28