183 - Seated female figure, Attié (Akye), Ivory Coast.

Seated female figure, Attié (Akye), Ivory Coast. A remarkable female sculpture with exceptionally slender proportions, characterized by a long, cylindrical neck, a simplified face with bulging eyes, and an elaborate hairstyle featuring conical buns. The straight arms, ending in angular hands, frame a narrow torso, while the powerful legs rest on either side of an architecturally designed seat. The rigor of the composition, the balance of the volumes, and the monumentality of the silhouette lend this work a particularly assertive sculptural presence. Wood with a deep brown-black patina, displaying beautiful reddish-brown hues, formerly polished surfaces, varied signs of wear, and surface alterations, particularly pronounced on the seat. Comparative bibliographic reference: *Africa: The Art of a Continent*, edited by Tom Phillips, 1995, p. 448, no. 5.111: seated Akyé female figure, height 64 cm, National Museum of Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan. Height: 82 cm