Collected in 1912 and donated in 1913 to the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Langonnet, Morbihan

Galerie Künzi, Solothurn, until 1986

Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Public auctions:

Loudmer, Paris, Arts Primitifs, June 27, 1986, lot 325

Cornette de Saint Cyr, France, Sculpture d'Océanie, d'Amérique et d'Afrique, June 30, 1994, lot 71

Gottschalk (Burkhard), Kunst aus Schwarz-Afrika, Band 1: vom Gimbala zum Kongostrom, Dusseldorf: Verlag U. Gottschalk, 2005, p. 146 (right)

Mende female figures embody an idealized conception of beauty, typically represented through images of young women who have recently undergone initiation into adulthood. Specific physical attributes—such as the delicately beaded waist garment, elaborate coiffure, and visible scarification patterns—serve as markers of this transitional status.

Within Mende society, such figures fulfilled a variety of functions. Some were employed in divinatory practices and were believed to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of both physical and psychological ailments. Others were associated with initiation societies and played an important role in ritual life. These sculptures were often placed beside ritual medicines kept within society structures, serving as their guardians and protectors. Generally concealed from public view, they were displayed only on designated ceremonial occasions.