355 - PRESTIGIOUS FEMALE FIGURE HOLDING A CUP, KNOWN AS THE “BEADED STATUE” — Nigeria or Cameroon — Yoruba or Bamileke

PRESTIGIOUS FEMALE FIGURE HOLDING A CUP, KNOWN AS THE “BEADED STATUE” — Nigeria or Cameroon — Yoruba or Bamileke First half of the 20th century. Polychrome seed beads (blue, red, white, ochre) sewn onto fabric, mounted on a gourd (?) base. Dimensions: H. 120 cm. A slender figure holding a cup outstretched in offering. An entirely beaded anthropomorphic figure, mounted on a calabash (?) base covered in beadwork. The standing figure holds a cup with both hands in front of her body; a second beaded face appears on the lower bulge of the base. The torso features a diamond-patterned latticework design (white crosshatching forming a diamond grid), with each diamond alternately filled in red and turquoise; this highly structured graphic motif is the dominant feature of the piece and is reminiscent of the geometric decorative vocabulary of the Grassfields. Condition: Visible dust and dirt on the surface; no major gaps in the beading. Research and Documentation: Coryse Mwape, art historian specializing in ancient African art. Internal Ref.: 1223