From Africa to Quai Branly: Histories of the Collections
Female figurine
AnyiCôte d’Ivoire 19th century
Wood, brass, iron, gold, glass beads, plant fibres Paris, Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Inv. 70.2001.25.1
The necklace of red glass beads, the gold pendant, the eight rows of beads around the figurine’s waist, and the sophisticated hairstyle, tell us that this is a high-ranking individual. According to French collector Dr Stéphen Chauvet, it is in fact a depiction of one of the queens of the Anyi-Alangoua people, who lived in eastern Côte d’Ivoire. We do not know how this figurine reached Europe. But we do know that it once belonged to the French painter Maurice de Vlaminck, who likely purchased it on the Paris art market.
Vlaminck, like other artists such as André Derain or Pablo Picasso, was fascinated by African art, although this did not prevent him from selling the figurine in 1937.
The figurine then moved from one private collection to another; it was part of the collections of doctor Stéphen Chauvet; of Philippe Ratton, nephew of Parisian art dealer Charles Ratton; and of Hubert Goldet, founder of contemporary art magazine Artpress in Paris. After Goldet’s death in 2000, his collection of African art was sold, and this figurine was acquired by Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.