Terracotta Djenne snake - Mali





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Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.
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Description from the seller
Terracotta snake - Mali
This superb and highly characteristic snake measures 11 cm x 9 cm, missing head.
This Djenne snake was collected in my private collection in 1984.
This intriguing piece of sculpture is made of terracotta by the Djenne people of Mali. It depicts a coiled snake, gracefully wrapped, grasping a human. The material was skillfully worked by the Djenne artisans and is today the result of a truly distinguished work of ceramic art. Snakes were venerated, used in the cult of ancestors, and symbolically linked to the idea of mortality. Djenne was once a prosperous city, also a trade center of the region, located at the Inland Delta of the Niger River, which was the heart of the Mali Empire between the 12th and 16th centuries. The Djenne civilization is a precursor to the Dogon of Mali.
Seller's Story
Terracotta snake - Mali
This superb and highly characteristic snake measures 11 cm x 9 cm, missing head.
This Djenne snake was collected in my private collection in 1984.
This intriguing piece of sculpture is made of terracotta by the Djenne people of Mali. It depicts a coiled snake, gracefully wrapped, grasping a human. The material was skillfully worked by the Djenne artisans and is today the result of a truly distinguished work of ceramic art. Snakes were venerated, used in the cult of ancestors, and symbolically linked to the idea of mortality. Djenne was once a prosperous city, also a trade center of the region, located at the Inland Delta of the Niger River, which was the heart of the Mali Empire between the 12th and 16th centuries. The Djenne civilization is a precursor to the Dogon of Mali.
