Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figure

Date

late 1800s–early 1900s

Medium

Wood, paint, glass beads, and natural fiber

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, possibly Bondoukou region, unknown maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

An artistic melting pot, the Bondoukou region in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire near the border with Ghana is inhabited by several ethnic groups whose cultures and artistic styles often intermingle. This figure’s rounded shapes and delicate surface decoration––which seem to imitate body scarifications––closely resemble the style of Baule carvings. The figure’s meaning and function remain a mystery. Artworks from different regions traveled across Africa; while found in Wenchi, Ghana, this figure was made in nearby Côte d'Ivoire.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.