AfricansAFRICAN QUINTESSENCE
a gallery of the art of Africans
IVORY MATERNITY FIGURE
Beboussou , Agba region, Baule, Ivory Coast
Exuding the timeless beauty, grace and the power of motherhood skillfully captured in the ageless majesty of ivory, this extremely rare masterpiece is thought to represent Kpan, the senior female figure in the “Dance of Rejoicing” ritual. This role is usually assigned to the equivalent of the village spiritual leader in all maternal affairs. Kpan is normally rendered by Baule artists in mask forms. Rare enough in wooden statuary form, and even rarer in ivory, the profuse body adornment (scarification) is a depiction of the Baule ideal beauty, a high social status, and the elaborate crested coiffure is a trademark of Kpan. Size: 17” tall
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