Dan Figure ‘Lu Me’

Dan, Liberia

Before 1927

Wood, Fiber, Pigments

51cm Tall

Provenance:

Collected by Gustave Maignan between 1925 1927

Maignan Family collection, Rennes

Eric Hertault, Paris

Joel Green, California

Historically, Dan men engaged in prolific polygamy. The favorite of these spouses would be honored with wooden figures called ‘Lu Me’. If wealthy enough, a husband would commission the local blacksmith to carve a stylized portrait of the wife. Thes usually appear in the form of a static standing figure with arms to the sides, but also take various dynamic poses as well. These figures function as both a monument of femininity as well as a powerful status symbol.