Images(6)

Standing Female Figure

Artist Artist Unknown

DateEarly 20th century

MediumWood, fabric, cowrie shells, and metal (zinc, manganese, and iron)

Dimensions11 7/8 × 3 7/8 × 2 in. (30.2 × 9.8 × 5.1 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Benita Baird and Ron Barab

Object number2019.3.7

On View

Not on view

Label TextThrough X-ray and XRF analysis (X-ray fluorescence) used to determine elemental composition, the Conservation Department revealed that this figure held much more than originally met the eye. The belly, loosely hidden by burlap, is covered with a surface of accretions that indicate medicinal or ritual applications commonly associated with artworks called “power objects.” Charged by ritual specialists, they temporarily “work” for living individuals and for a specific purpose, such as to cure or protect.

X-rays and XRF revealed an even more significant finding: hidden within the belly is a maskette with high levels of zinc and manganese (rather than wood), nestled behind neat rows of cowrie shells. In Liberia zinc is a precious material used in trade, and cowries are a valuable commodity. This figure is literally pregnant with wealth and prosperity.ProvenanceField collected by Joseph M. Baird in Liberia, 1960s; Benita Sue Baird and Ronald Evan Barab, Atlanta, GA; given to NCMA, 2019.
Published ReferencesNorth Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection," (Raleigh, NC; North Carolina Museum of Art, 2024), illus. (color) 12.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–October 23, 2023. Object Rights Statement

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