Painted Sejnane Woman Sculpture
A unique, hand-built Sejnane pottery sculpture by Hadda Saidani. Approximately 30 centimetres high and made to stand independently, this individual woman figure is distinguished by its painted facial features, joined hands, jewellery-like details and geometric decoration.
This freestanding woman figure by Hadda Saidani has a tall cylindrical body, carefully modelled facial features and hands joined across the front. Painted lines and geometric markings distinguish the face, clothing and different areas of the body.
Cream, ochre, terracotta and black tones move across its surface. Wide eyes, a patterned head covering and necklace-like decoration give the upper body a particularly detailed character, while repeated linear motifs extend down the elongated form.
The sculpture was built and decorated individually by hand. Subtle asymmetry, modelling traces and variations across its painted surface preserve the character of the making process.
The photographs show the sculpture currently available. Hadda may create similar figures again, but differences in proportion, modelling, markings and colour mean that no two will be exactly alike.
- Maker: Hadda Saidani
- Place of origin: Sejnane, Tunisia
- Object type: Freestanding pottery sculpture
- Material: Clay
- Technique: Hand-built without a potter’s wheel
- Height: Approximately 30 cm
- Display: Stands independently
- Use: Decorative object
Each sculpture is formed and decorated individually by hand. Variations in modelling, proportions, markings, colour and surface belong to its handmade character, so no two pieces will be exactly alike.
The sculpture was formed by hand rather than on a potter’s wheel. Its modelling and painted surface belong within the wider knowledge of Sejnane pottery, where women have developed methods of preparing clay, building forms, decorating surfaces and firing objects through generations of practice.
The precise materials and firing history responsible for every colour on this particular sculpture have not been independently confirmed. Its surface is therefore described through its visible tones and markings without assigning them to one specific colouring method.
Hadda Saidani is a potter and sculptor from Sejnane, Tunisia. Her practice includes hand-built vessels, animal forms and human figures, each shaped through her individual treatment of proportion, modelling, surface and decoration.
Display indoors on a stable, level surface. Lift the sculpture with both hands from its base and body rather than from its head or other projecting details.
Keep it away from impacts, prolonged moisture and sudden temperature changes. Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use abrasive or chemical cleaning products.