Bambara Female Figure Lot n° 7

Mali - 19th C. Wood, beads, and shells, 53 cm Provenance: Galerie Bernard Dulon, Paris Guy Porré Collection Guilhem Montagut, Barcelona Private collection, Brussels Jo Nyeleni, important female figure that strikingly illustrates all the essential characteristics of Bambara sculpture. Following a recurrent sculptural canon, the different parts of the human body are treated as almost separate elements, to be joined with an architectural logic in rhythmic alternations of protruding and receding volumes. The elaborate pattern of scarifications and the beautiful patina of age testify to the importance this sculpture had in the Jo society, both expressing and enhancing its power.