Standing Female Nude

The Dan people of the Ivory Coast and Liberia flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. They were hunters and farmers who left behind no written documents and a vague oral history. This copper figurine of a nude woman is adorned with large bands around her waist and ankles. These could possibly represent the heavy metal jewelry that was characteristic of the attire of Dan women. Sculptures of women such as this were prestigious objects that were often commissioned by men as a way to honor a highly admired wife. They embodied Dan ideals of feminine beauty and were looked upon as a positive reflection of the sculpture’s subject and owner.