Head of a Dancing Girl
Entry ID
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21 (06/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Head of a Dancing Girl
Previous title(s)
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'Mahdi: Dancer from the Cotes D'Ivoire, NW Africa'
Description of the sculpture
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A bronze bust of a young woman from the Ivory Coast (Cote D’Ivoire). Her eyes are closed and she is depicted wearing earrings and a coin necklace. Her hair is tied back and intricately styled.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Bust – Portrait
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
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Patination
Overall colour
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Monochrome – brown
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Identifiable: specific individual
Attributes
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Jewellery
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Adolescent
Status
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Uncertain
Clothing
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No clothes included (head)
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Noble/proud
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Eyes totally closed
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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1934 (date when a version was first exhibited)
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
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Decorative
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Didactic / Propagandistic
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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2004.0414
Provenance history
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1935: acquired by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Reference pages
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Rusholme 1934, p. 4 (no. 1)
Associated with
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Portrait Bust of an African |
Associated with | E22 Man-Made Object |
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/48, . (no date) ‘Head of a Dancing Girl’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/253
