Seated Female Statuette – Fipa – Western Tanzania – Late 19th / Early 20th Century – Primitive Art

Statuette representing a seated female figure, hands resting on her thighs, the body entirely adorned with incised scarifications, particularly visible on the arms, legs and torso. The sculptural intensity of this work is reinforced by the monumentality of the face: a wide open mouth, deeply carved, gives the whole a striking expressiveness. The gaze is accentuated by inlays of white glass beads, which animate the figure with a lively, almost inhabited presence. The whole exudes a rare plastic force, between formal abstraction and stylized realism. Wood, very old shiny brown patina, mark of use, white glass beads. Fipa, western region of Tanzania, early 20th century Dimensions: 15.3 x 10.5 cm x 4 cm - total height 18 cm with the base. Provenance: former collection in northern France Sold with certificate of authenticity from the expert Serge Reynes, guarantee of origin and period. * Shipping costs on estimate. This statuette belongs to the very rare typology of small Fipa works depicting seated figures. Used in a ritual context probably linked to initiation or the transmission of knowledge, it testifies to the symbolic refinement of this people established in the highlands of western Tanzania. The body scarifications, omnipresent here, reflect an identity aesthetic specific to Fipa women, where each incision carried a meaning linked to status, fertility, or beauty. By its formal intensity and expressive power, this work stands out as an exceptional example of female ritual sculpture in East Africa.