Mende Female Figure, Sierra Leone

René Rasmussen, Paris, 1960s
Jacques Kerchache, Paris, acquired in 1966
Private Collection, Paris, acquired from the above
Sotheby's, Paris, June 15, 2004, lot 98, consigned by the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, October 31, 1970 - January 17, 1971

Elsy Leuzinger, Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, Zurich, 1970, p. 101, fig. 11
Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan (eds.), L'Art africain, Paris, 1988, pp. 93 and 380, pls. 45 and 346
Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan (eds.), Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, 1989, pp. 91 and 392, pls. 45 and 346
Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan (eds.), Art of Africa, New York, 1993, pp. 93 and 380, pls. 45 and 346
Burkhard Gottschalk, Kunst aus Schwarz-Afrika, Band 1; vom Gimbala zum Kongostrom, Dusseldorf, 2005, p. 149
Burkhard Gottschalk, Kunst aus Schwarz-Afrika, Band 4; Bundu: Masken und Statuen aus privaten Sammlungen, Dusseldorf, 2011, p. 157

Good condition for an object of this type and age. Old losses to feet as seen in catalogue photographs. Minor marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, small chips, and wear consistent with age and use. Age cracks, including a narrow crack down the center of the chest. Minor marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, and small chips consistent with age and use. Some areas of surface consolidation including to proper left ear and small areas in back of coiffure. Cracks to ankles. Top element possibly reglued. Exceptionally fine layered black glossy patina, with some areas of flaking encrustation.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Unlike the famous Bundu masks, the statuary of the Mende people of Sierra Leone is relatively rare and little-studied. Standing figures of women are used in the context of initiation societies governing the life of the Mende, including the sande, njayei, humoi, and yassi societies.  These figures conform to classic Mende ideals of beauty as seen in the masks, including the distinctive tightly-braided coiffure, narrowly squinting eyes, petite face and ringed neck.  Such figures were known as minsere and may have had a medicinal function (Mato and Miller 1990: 69).

The distinctive coiffure of the present figure is of typical Mende style, of the type famously depicted in the bundu masks and modeled on the real hairstyles of Mende women (see fig. 1).  According to Seigmann (2000: 71-72), among the Mende, "A beautiful head of hair is one that is thick, lush, and abundant, like the rice in a well-tended field.  A woman's coiffure encodes a prayer for abundant life and is thought of as demonstrating 'the life force, the multiplying power of profusion, prosperity, a 'green thumb' for raising bountiful farms and many healthy children' [Boone 1986: 186].  A woman's thick long tresses symbolize fertility and strength. [...] Since a woman cannot plait her own hair, but must turn to a relative or friend to do it for her, the very act of plaiting one's hair is indicative of a social bond among women."

The widely published Kunin female statue is perhaps the best known of all Mende figures. It was previously owned by two of the greatest connoisseurs and tireless promoters of African art in France: René Rasmussen and Jacques Kerchache. In an anectdote related by another of its previous owner (personal communication), former French president Jacques Chirac, himself a collector of African art and the driving force behind the creation of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, referred to the Kunin figure affectionately as "la reine noire".  Distinguished by its harmonous elegance and exquisite detail, it is undoubtedly the finest Mende sculptures known.