A Dan/guerre maternity

A Dan/guerre maternity, Ivory Coast, collected in the region of Danané, provenance Bakari Bouafle.

The Dan "Maternité" (Maternity) figure from Côte d’Ivoire is a profound embodiment of maternal strength, ancestral veneration, and artistic refinement. Created by the Dan people of the western forest regions, these sculptures—known locally as lü me, or "wooden persons"—are more than visual representations; they serve as ritual objects housing spiritual power and ancestral presence.
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These maternity figures were revealed to the public during ceremonial unveilings, affirming the spiritual prestige of the family and the skill of the sculptor. Afterwards, the figure would be carefully kept in the owner's private quarters, only brought out on ritual occasions. The lü me was not a mere portrait, but a vessel through which the vital forces of ancestry and fertility could be accessed.

As African art scholar Susan M. Vogel explains:
“Dan sculptures, especially the so-called ‘maternity figures,’ were less about the depiction of physical motherhood and more about the embodiment of moral and social ideals—nurturing, endurance, and the spiritual duty to the lineage.”
— Susan M. Vogel, "African Art in Cultural Perspective" (1986).

Height: 57 cm 
Weight: 3,4 kg