Statue féminine, Sénufo, Côte d'Ivoire

Emil Storrer, Zurich
Lucien Van de Velde, Anvers
Collection Walter et Molly Bareiss, Connecticut
Sotheby's, New York, 11 novembre 2004, n° 58
Collection privée

Reproduite dans :
Bastin, Introduction aux Arts d'Afrique Noire, 1984 : 110, n° 84

Exposée et reproduite dans :
Roy, Kilengi : African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, 1997 : 305, n° 202, catalogue de l'exposition, Hannover, Kestner Gesellschaft, 30 août - 19 octobre 1997

Good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture : areas of wear through handling, thin shallow cracks on the body and base; crack on the proper left hand side of the head behind the ear, running down to the base of the neck; traces of polychromy throughout.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Nommées poro pya "enfant du poro", les grandes statues Sénufo comptent parmi les œuvres les plus emblématiques de l'art africain, depuis sa "découverte" par les artistes peintres et sculpteurs au début du XX^e siècle. Elles s'imposent aussi comme l'une des expressions majeures de la principale institution sociale Sénufo : le Poro.

Le collectionneur et marchand Emil Storrer (1917-1989), qui posséda cette sculpture, a collecté sur le terrain essentiellement en Afrique de l'Ouest - en particulier en Côte d'Ivoire - dans les années 1950. C'est à cette période qu'il acquiert, venant du village de Lataha, les plus grands chefs-d'œuvre de la statuaire Sénufo : les statues poro pya aujourd'hui conservées au Rietberg Museum, au Metropolitan Museum of Art et au Musée Barbier-Mueller.

Son style permet d'attribuer également cette très belle statue à la région centrale du pays Sénufo. A l'élancement du corps - accentué par le haut pilon dans lequel se fond l'extrémité des jambes - répond la superbe dynamique des lignes, associant courbes tendues et succession de plans subtilement inclinés. Très belle opposition entre la force des volumes stylisés et la sensibilité exprimée dans la finesse des membres et la délicatesse des modelés - accentuée par les nuances de la patine brun orangé du bois dur. Elle a conservé, sur la bouche et sur la crête sagittale, des traces de rehauts rouges et blancs. 

Senufo female figure, Ivory Coast

Named poro pya "child of poro", these tall Senufo statues remain among the most representative works of African art since its "discovery" by painters and sculptors in the early twentieth century. They also command respect by being one of the major expressions of the principal Senufo social institution: the Poro.

The collector and dealer Emil Storrer (1917-1989), who owned this sculpture, collected pieces in West Africa – mainly in the Ivory Coast – in the 1950s. During this period he acquired, from the village of Latah, the greatest known masterpieces of Senufo statuary: the poro pya statues now kept at the Rietberg Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Barbier-Mueller Museum.

The style of this beautiful statue is suggestive of the central region of the Senufo country. The slenderness of the body – accentuated by the pestle which forms its base - responds to the superb dynamic of the lines, combining taut curves, and a succession of subtly sloping planes. There is a very fine contrast between the strength of the stylized shapes and the sensibility expressed in the fineness and delicacy of the limbs – accentuated by the nuances of the brown and orange patina of the hardwood. Conserved, on the mouth and the crest of the head, are traces of red and white highlights.