Attribution Incomplete Notice
Collections and items in our institution have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing attribution. We are using this notice to clearly identify this material so that it can be updated, or corrected by communities of origin. Our institution is committed to collaboration and partnerships to address this problem of incorrect or missing attribution.
Open to Collaborate Notice
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Traditional Knowledge Notice
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Artwork Details
Culture
Creation Date
Materials
Object Types
Dimensions
37-1/2 x 9-1/2 x 6-1/2 in.
Accession Number
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg
Copyright
Collection
Color Palette
Provenance
Purchased by collector Katherine Coryton White [1929-1980] in 1971; returned to (Barry Kitnick's Gallery K), Los Angeles, California Summer 1973... (Robert Jones, Indianapolis, Indiana); sold on 25 June 1977 to Harrison Eiteljorg [1903-1997] of Indianapolis, Indiana; given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1989. {1} Robert Jones also sold under the name Robert Fitzgerald
Gallery Labels
This figure served as a portrait of a living woman. Only men of economic means could afford to commission such a carving. Although such an image may be a remembrance of someone after death, it does not function as an ancestor image. These status objects are kept in the home, where they are shown to important guests.
Most sculptures made in Africa are carved from one piece of wood or stone. The construction of this figure, which includes movable arms joined to the torso at the shoulders, jointed thighs and breasts, and removable navel and genital plugs, probably reflects the influence of European or American carpentry.
More from the Collection
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Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
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