Female figure
date: label: Date
content: 10th-15th century
name: label: Maker
content: Inland Niger Delta Style
notes: label: Label Text
content: Since the 1940s, low-fired fragments of ceramic figures have been unearthed at various locations throughout the Inland Niger Delta region, an area that once had highly developed urban centers. The majority of the ceramics have appeared on the market without any excavation documentation and are among the earliest known surviving artforms in sub-Saharan Africa dating from the 11th to 17th centuries. The previous owner of this work dated it from the 10th to 13th centuries. The makers were from the various peoples in the region, but it is not known whether they were men or women. Using a mixture of coarse clay and added grog (crushed pot sherds), the potters modeled the figures by hand. Most surviving examples are solid, like this example. The surface of this figure lacks the polished surface of many examples, perhaps the result of erosion.
label: Label Text
content: By the 15th or 16th century, environmental and political events caused the urban centers of the Delta region to be abandoned, and the art tradition did not survive. In a letter from 1447, an Italian merchant visiting the area did remark that figures kept in sanctuaries were venerated as representing the deified ancestors of famous founding rulers of the region. This example of a figure reclining on a bed recalls funerary practices among the Senufo peoples who use wooden beds as biers in funerals.
label: Description
content: Ceramic reclining female figure on a slab form bed with one hand under her head and the other on her stomach, and both legs bent.
label: Provenance
content: Unknown sculptor, Segou area, Mali; excavated by unknown individuals (possibly Kabineh Djanreh) before 1973 [1]. Acquired under unknown circumstances by Kabineh Djanreh, Mali, before 1973; sold to Emile Deletaille (1929-2021), Brussels, Belgium, 1973; sold to the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.,1985.
label: Provenance
content: [1] While correspondence from Emile Deletaille confirms that he purchased this figure from Kabineh Djanreh, it is unclear whether Djanreh himself excavated this figure.
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Segou area, Mali
topic: label: Topic
content: Funerary
label: Topic
content: furniture
label: Topic
content: male
label: Topic
content: female
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum purchase
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 85-1-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Figure
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ceramic
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 12.2 x 19.4 x 8.5 cm (4 13/16 x 7 5/8 x 3 3/8 in.)