Female Figure

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Female Figure

Tonga, circa 1850
Sculpture
Sperm whale ivory
3 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (7.62 x 3.81 x 3.81 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation with additional funding by Jane and Terry Semel, the David Bohnett Foundation, Camilla Chandler Frost, Gayle and Edward P. Roski, and The Ahmanson Foundation (M.2008.66.31)
Not currently on public view

Provenance

Collected by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, aboard the John Wesley, on the first voyage, in 1850 (sale, Exeter (England) Centenary Hall, May 1851) sold to; Dawson family member, Exeter, En...
Collected by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, aboard the John Wesley, on the first voyage, in 1850 (sale, Exeter (England) Centenary Hall, May 1851) sold to; Dawson family member, Exeter, England, by inheritance to; William Dawson, Sunderland, England. Wayne Heathcote (b. 1943), New York, NY, sold to; Masco Corporation Collection, Livonia, MI, sold 2008 through; [Sotheby’s, New York, to]; LACMA.
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Label

Gallery Label

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Gallery Label
This pendant is one of only nineteen small Tongan figural sculptures in existence. Most are made of ivory, some larger examples are wooden, and all have the same general interpretation of the female form. It is likely that they are representations of female ancestors, which were important in the Tongan bloodline. The female figure also could be seen as the originator of the leading hereditary descent line. The figures were worn by high-ranking females and could have been strung together on a necklace. All of the figures share a similar stance and specific stylistic features, including short powerful bodies with bent, flexed legs, pointed breasts, strong trunks, and flat triangular faces and facial features. Some examples found in Fiji have carved areas at the back of the head that may have been used as suspension areas for a necklace, and are more than likely Tongan in origin. The use of rare whale ivory indicates that the figure was a highly treasured object.

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Bibliography

  • Wardwell, Allen. Island Ancestors: Oceanic Art from the Masco Collection. [Seattle]: University of Washington Press, 1994.
  • Harding, Julian. "Pacific Treasures: the Masco Collection Goes to Los Angeles." Tribal Art no.50 (2008): 68-73.