An Agni “Colon” Statue, Bongouanou Region, Ivory Coast. This carved wooden statuette depicts a standing female figure, characteristic of Agni art and the so-called “Colon” style due to the incorporation of modern pigments. Her hairstyle consists of dark hair carved into a series of parallel, textured braids that follow the rounded shape of her skull. Looking at the face, the eyes are elongated and closed, highlighted by a golden or light ochre color on the eyelids. The nose is straight, and the lips are outlined in bright red paint. The head rests on a sturdy neck marked by beauty lines or sculpted rings, a traditional sign of prosperity and health. The woman stands upright, her torso straight, with round, firm breasts sculpted in relief. Her arms hang down alongside her body, ending in her hands resting on her lower abdomen, just above her navel. She wears a loincloth or panties painted bright red, held in place by a belt in shades of green and gold, adding a modern touch of color that contrasts with the wood’s dark patina. Her sturdy legs are short, thick, and slightly bent, and her feet—whose toes are suggested by simple incisions—rest flat on a low, circular base carved from the same block of wood. In the context of art history, this type of work is often associated with stylistic traditions closely linked to Akan culture (Agni/Anyi in eastern Côte d’Ivoire), in which hairstyling is part of an overarching aesthetic framework that unites the body, adornments, and patina into a coherent formal whole. A notable characteristic is the tendency to depict hair as a durable, braided structure, “frozen” in a sculptural manner, which draws inspiration from actual hair-styling practices while transposing them into an abstract system of order. By way of comparison, the literature notes that similar depictions of Agni often feature an imposing and finely structured hairstyle, with a central crest and side braids, which can be interpreted as both an aesthetic ideal and a marker of social and spiritual presence. The hairstyle is therefore not merely a decorative detail, but a central structural element of the figure, which decisively determines its vertical tension and “dignified” appearance. In summary, this style can thus be described as a segmented, crown-shaped, braided architecture with a symmetrical structure and a strong vertical orientation, which transforms the hair into a lasting form imbued with symbolism. Literature (Selection) Vogel, Susan Mullin: Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven 1997. Himmelheber, Hans: Die Kunst der Baule. Munich 1960. Delafosse, Maurice: Les Baoulé et les Agni de la Côte d’Ivoire. Paris 1901. Cole, Herbert M.: Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington D.C. 1989. Fischer, Eberhard / Homberger, Lorenz: The Art of the Ivory Coast. Zurich 1979. BACQUART, Jean-Baptiste: The Tribal Arts of Africa. London: Thames & Hudson, 1998. RIVIÈRE, Marceau: Arts Premiers de Côte d’Ivoire. Saint-Maur, 1997. ROBBINS, Warren & NOOTER, Nancy: African Art in American Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. Dorotheum Auction Archive: Agni (also called Anyi), Ivory Coast, mother and child figure, 09.06.2016. (Zugriff 2026) Art des lagunes / Agni stylistic context and coiffure description. Proantic / Galerie Guardia archive. Masque-Africain / Agni statuary aesthetic constants (coiffure, spiritual function). Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant Bakari M*A*Z*1*5*6*9*9* The seller guarantees and can prove that the object was obtained legally. The seller was informed by Catawiki that they had to provide the documentation required by the laws and regulations in their country of residence. The seller guarantees and is entitled to sell/export this object. The seller will provide all provenance information known about the object to the buyer. The seller ensures that any necessary permits are/will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer immediately about any delays in obtaining such permits.