1986.43.FA Seated female figure

The upswept and spiraling hairstyle on this lithe seated figure is a metaphor for sexuality and, by extension, fertility. It was probably used in connection with headhunting rites, perhaps as the finial for a hook on which an enemy’s skull was hung. Headhunting, which ensured both agricultural and human fertility, was considered essential for cosmic order.

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, 2013. 

1986: Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Sarah Dorsey Hudson, purchased from Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas [1]

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the document titled Acquisition Checklist, May 27, 1986, in the Collections Records object file (1986.43.FA). 

[1] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation, and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation's collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.

Apply to objects where number equals 1986.43.FA