Lot 95
  • 95

A Fine Sherbro Female Figure, Sierra Leone

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description

standing on parted legs, the female figure with hands held next to, but not touching hips, full spherical breasts and geometric scarification on lower half of back, and a ridged neck, surmounted by an oval head with elaborate multi-crested coiffure; fine medium brown patina with traces of dark residue on feet and right hand.

Provenance

Acquired by the father of the present owner in 1954

Exhibited

Arles, Musée Réattu, Arts d'Afrique Noire, April 10 - September 30, 1954

Condition

very good condition overall; left foot and right thumb broken and reattached; minor chip on right heel; nicks and scratches, wear and tear; permanently mounted on base; fine medium brown patina with traces of dark residue on feet and right hand.
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.

Catalogue Note

A Sherbro Female Figure

The Sherbro are one of the smaller ethnic groups in Sierra Leone and there art work closely resembles the style of the Mende, their more numerous and better known neighbors. Though this figure has previously been attributed to the Mende, there is clear evidence that it was carved by a Sherbro artist.

At least four other examples by the same hand are known. A. F. Griffiths acquired two figures which he donated to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton in 1904. At nearly the same time a Swiss merchant named Ruply acquired a figure that is now in the Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern. Ruply acquired the piece at Mobforay on the Jong River. A fourth example is known from the I. Rudnyanszky collection in Budapest. The Ruply piece is by far the best documented but shows little sign of having been used, unlike the present piece which shows wear from handling on both feet and on the right hand.

Sculptures such as this are usually and erroneously called minsereh figures and attributed to the Yase society based on descriptions from the British colonial officer T. J. Alldridge in his book The Sherbro and its Hinterland (1901). Alldridge collected a number of related figures before 1900. These figures, now in the collection of the Royal Pavilion, were described as objects for the Yase, or Yassi, society whose principal function was the cure of physical and mental disorders. Alldridge refers to the figures as minsereh (or more properly min si le - literally "the spirits") and said they were used by female leaders of the society in divination. Not all such figures are used in this manner, however, and similar figures are used by the Sande and other societies.

Without specific documentation therefore it isn't possible to attribute these figures to use in specific initiation societies. In general such sculptures are used to stand beside and protect the medicines in a society house where they remain unseen by the public except when they are brought out on special occasions such as society initiations.

William C. Siegmann