8 - Female statuette

Female statuette with a walking stick and a trilobed headdress Wood, original honey- and brown-colored patina, inlays in the eyes. Punu, Gabon, before 1930. H: 23 cm Provenance: Georges Valmier (1885–1937), Cubist painter. This female figure is distinguished by the elegance of her head posture and the unique intensity of her gaze. A slender neck supports the face, crowned by a three-lobed hairstyle whose distinctly prominent central bun accentuates its verticality. The inlaid eyes lend the expression an almost ecstatic intensity, while the firmly defined mouth conveys a sense of restrained confidence. Standing with her knees slightly bent, she holds a cane in her right hand, while her other hand rests near her waist. Finely crafted scarifications, extending on either side of the navel like two wings, highlight the abdomen. Viewed from the back, the sculpture reveals meticulous modeling: the rounded shoulders, the narrow waist, and the full hips combine to form a silhouette with harmonious lines. The balance between the fluidity of the forms and the firmness of her posture is what gives this small effigy its power. Among the Punu of southern Gabon, statuettes are far rarer than the white masks for which this culture is renowned, and their faces often echo the masks’ features and hairstyles. They are interpreted as representations of ancestors or effigies with magical properties, linked to ancestor worship and practices designed to protect the lineage; a statuette might also have been placed in the tabernacle of a Bwiti sanctuary. Comparative reference: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, female figure, Punu or Lumbo, late 19th–early 20th century, inv. 98-15-3. Similarities include the crouching posture and body scarifications; the hairstyle differs, and the eyes are highlighted with white pigment rather than inlaid. General bibliography: Louis Perrois and Charlotte Grand-Dufay, *Punu*, Milan, 5 Continents Editions, “Visions d’Afrique” series, 2008.