{
    "data": {
        "id": 145955,
        "accession_number": "1971.161",
        "share_license_status": "Copyrighted",
        "tombstone": "Female Figure (nyeleni or jo nyeleni), before 1932. Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana-style blacksmith-carver. Wood; overall: 49.9 cm (19 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Munro, 1971.161",
        "current_location": null,
        "title": "Female Figure (nyeleni or jo nyeleni)",
        "creation_date": "before 1932",
        "creation_date_earliest": 1922,
        "creation_date_latest": 1932,
        "artists_tags": [],
        "culture": [
            "Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana-style blacksmith-carver"
        ],
        "technique": "wood",
        "support_materials": [],
        "department": "African Art",
        "collection": "African Art",
        "type": "Sculpture",
        "measurements": "Overall: 49.9 cm (19 5/8 in.)",
        "dimensions": {
            "overall": {
                "height": 0.499,
                "height_inch": 19,
                "height_inch_fraction": 0.625
            }
        },
        "state_of_the_work": null,
        "edition_of_the_work": null,
        "copyright": null,
        "inscriptions": [],
        "exhibitions": {
            "current": [
                {
                    "id": 301427,
                    "title": "Year in Review: 1971",
                    "description": "<i>Year in Review: 1971</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972).",
                    "opening_date": "1971-12-28T05:00:00"
                }
            ],
            "legacy": []
        },
        "provenance": [
            {
                "description": "Dr. and Mrs Thomas (Lucille) Munro",
                "citations": [],
                "footnotes": null,
                "date": "until 1971",
                "sortorder": 1
            },
            {
                "description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift",
                "citations": [],
                "footnotes": null,
                "date": "1971\u2013",
                "sortorder": 2
            }
        ],
        "find_spot": null,
        "related_works": [],
        "former_accession_numbers": [],
        "did_you_know": "This sculpture originally had clothing (around the waist), beads, and metal ornaments, just like a Bamana woman would wear on a special occasion.",
        "early_education_description": null,
        "artlens_description": null,
        "description": "Called <em>nyeleni</em>, the figure represented an idealized youthful female beauty. The nudity of the sculpture does not represent how a Bamana woman would dress, nor is it a study of an actual woman. Male initiates in the Jo society once used these figures in entertaining ceremonial performances, where they represented the ideal wife. Their performance was also one of masculinity and showcasing their eligibility.",
        "external_resources": {
            "wikidata": [
                "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q79923877"
            ],
            "internet_archive": []
        },
        "citations": [],
        "url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.161",
        "images": {},
        "alternate_images": [],
        "creditline": "Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Munro",
        "image_credit": null,
        "sketchfab_id": null,
        "sketchfab_url": null,
        "gallery_donor_text": null,
        "athena_id": 145955,
        "creators": [],
        "legal_status": "accessioned",
        "accession_date": "1971-12-11T00:00:00",
        "sortable_date": 1922,
        "date_added_to_oa": null,
        "date_text": "before 1932",
        "collapse_artists": false,
        "on_loan": false,
        "recently_acquired": false,
        "record_type": "object",
        "conservation_statement": null,
        "has_conservation_images": false,
        "cover_accession_number": null,
        "is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
        "impression": null,
        "alternate_titles": [
            "Female Ancestor Figure"
        ],
        "is_highlight": false,
        "updated_at": "2026-05-01 06:50:38.229000"
    }
}