A female Senufo seated figure, collected in the Djebonoua region of central Côte d’Ivoire. The sculpture is distinguished by an elaborate polychrome surface treatment that enhances its formal structure and symbolic presence. The body is painted red, while the coiffure and stool are rendered in black pigment. A blue-painted loincloth creates an additional chromatic accent, contrasting with the red torso and limbs. White-painted lips draw attention to the face and animate the otherwise restrained expression. Incl stand. The figure is shown seated on a stool, a posture associated with dignity, stability, and social authority. The compact composition and frontal orientation emphasize permanence and ritual presence rather than movement. The carefully differentiated color scheme highlights individual elements of the sculpture, creating a visual hierarchy between the body, coiffure, costume, and seat. Such polychromy is characteristic of certain central Ivorian traditions in which pigments remained an integral component of the sculpture's meaning and ceremonial efficacy. The Djebonoua region occupies a cultural zone between northern and central Côte d’Ivoire, and sculptures from this area occasionally combine Senufo stylistic conventions with features encountered in neighboring traditions. The balanced seated posture, simplified anatomical modeling, and vivid color contrasts contribute to the figure’s distinctive appearance and underscore its likely function within a ritual or commemorative context. Literature: Philip Ravenhill (ed.), Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1993. Susan Mullin Vogel, Art of the Senufo. New York: Center for African Art, 1986. Robert Goldwater, Senufo Sculpture from West Africa. New York: Museum of Primitive Art, 1964. Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, Die Kunst der Senufo. Zürich: Museum Rietberg, 1984. William Fagg, Tribes and Forms in African Art. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1965. Ezio Bassani and William Fagg, Africa: The Art of a Continent. Munich: Prestel, 1995. Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat and Lucien Stephan, L’Art Africain. Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 1988. Hans Himmelheber, Negerkunst und Negerkünstler. Braunschweig: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1960. Susan Mullin Vogel, “Senufo Art and the Poro Cult.” African Arts 11, no. 2 (1978). Anita J. Glaze, “Art and Death among the Senufo.” African Arts 14, no. 3 (1981). Hans Himmelheber, “The Art of the Senufo.” African Arts 2, no. 1 (1968). Robert Goldwater, “Senufo Sculpture.” African Arts 1, no. 3 (1968). Till Förster, Die Kunst der Senufo in der Elfenbeinküste. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, 1987. This description was created with the help of our local informant Bakari Bouaflé and additionally with the aid of AI. Despite careful individual verification of the information provided by our informant, errors or inaccuracies may occur in the description due to the use of artificial intelligence. Jaenicke-Njoya Archive MAZ12911