Female Figure
- Culture
- Inland Niger Delta artist
- Date
- 13th–15th century
- Material
- Terracotta
- Classification
- Ceramics, sculpture
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 102
- Dimensions
- 12 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 8 in. (32.4 x 14 x 20.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Morton Zalk
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 51:2009
NOTES
This kneeling female figure with full lips and bulging eyes is bald and wears a plaited skirt, necklace, and wrist bangles. The graceful placement of her hands and the inclination of her back to a slightly forward position suggest that she may represent a worshipper in the local religious tradition. Her shaved head and body ornaments may indicate that this figure represents a person of high status. The left arm has been lost to erosion, as well as the figure’s lower body. This object is one of many full-figure terracotta sculptures excavated in the Inland Niger Delta region of Mali.
Provenance
- 1983
Davis Gallery, New Orleans, LA, USA, exported from Mali [1]
1983 - 2009
Mrs. Morton (Thelma) Zalk, St. Louis, MO [2]
2009 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mrs. Morton Zalk [3]
Notes:
[1] A consumption entry form from the United States Customs Service dated February 1, 1983 documents this object left Mali on January 28, 1983. Davis Gallery is listed as the importer [SLAM document files].
[2] A note on the IRS form 8283 signed by Thelma Zalk on March 31, 2010 documents this object was purchased in October 1983 [SLAM document files].
[3] A Deed of Gift signed by Thelma P. Zalk on December 22, 2009 documents the gift of this object to the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 7, 2009.
Davis Gallery, New Orleans, LA, USA, exported from Mali [1]
1983 - 2009
Mrs. Morton (Thelma) Zalk, St. Louis, MO [2]
2009 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mrs. Morton Zalk [3]
Notes:
[1] A consumption entry form from the United States Customs Service dated February 1, 1983 documents this object left Mali on January 28, 1983. Davis Gallery is listed as the importer [SLAM document files].
[2] A note on the IRS form 8283 signed by Thelma Zalk on March 31, 2010 documents this object was purchased in October 1983 [SLAM document files].
[3] A Deed of Gift signed by Thelma P. Zalk on December 22, 2009 documents the gift of this object to the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 7, 2009.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.