Senufo Bird Statue (Sejen)
Ivory Coast
A standing figure constructed along a vertical axis, the mass organised through elongation, weight-bearing through base integration, the base continuous with the figure mass.
Description
Carved from a single wood block, the body rises as a narrow vertical column extending into an elongated neck that curves forward into the beak. The central axis extends without interruption from the base through the neck into the beak. The head is surmounted by a domed crest incised with parallel vertical striations.
A curved rear element rises from behind the head and sweeps downward to rejoin the body, its outer edge incised with diagonal notching along its full length. Behind the body, a broad flat vertical plane is incised with horizontal registers, continuing downward into a narrower tapering terminal element. The legs are slender and vertical, terminating in small feet with individually defined toes.
Surface is compact and stable. Patina is retained across the figure, with exposure at projecting elements. Incised details retained across the crest and rear elements.
Context
Among the Senufo, hornbill (calao) figures of this type are used within Poro society ceremonial structures.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.
Details
- Title
- Senufo Bird Statue (Sejen)
- Culture
- Senufo
- Origin
- Ivory Coast
- Date
- 19th–20th century
- Dimensions
- H 117 cm (46.1 in) · W 30 cm (11.8 in)
- Medium
- Wood
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.
- Condition
- Surface stable; exposure at projecting elements; incised details retained.
