altar statue - Dogon - Mali






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Description from the seller
Mali
Dogon
Eroded wood
Height: 310mm
Width: 70mm
Depth: 65mm
Geographical and cultural origin
• People: Dogon.
• Region: Bandiagara Escarpment, Mali.
• Stylistic features: The work displays the essential codes of Dogon statuary. It presents a slender silhouette, roughly carved geometric shapes, a trunk marked with chevron scarifications on the abdomen, and a simplified, ovoid head almost merged into the mass. The wood shows significant surface erosion, typical of objects that have spent many years in rock niches or on outdoor altars.
Ritual use and gesture
• The raised-arms gesture: It is one of the most famous and powerful themes of Dogon art. This gesture of devotion and supplication is a ritual prayer for rain, essential for the survival of millet crops in the Sahelian zone. By extension, it symbolizes the unbreakable link between the heavens (the creator god Amma) and the earth.
• The Nommo and Tellem myth: Historically, these figures are associated with the Nommo spirits (the mythical twin water-regulating beings of cosmic order) or with the Tellem ancestors, the people who occupied the cliffs before the Dogon arrived in the 14th century. The Dogon often recovered and integrated statues predating their own cult.
• Altar function (Dege): These statuettes were placed by elders or priests on family or collective altars (the Binu). They served as a spiritual contact point to honor the clan’s ancestors, to secure their goodwill, and to invoke fertility for women as well as abundance of crops.
Fast and protected shipping. Packages are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in France in 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days throughout the European Union via Chronopost International. Delivery via Colissimo International to the rest of Europe and worldwide
We speak english.
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Seller's Story
Mali
Dogon
Eroded wood
Height: 310mm
Width: 70mm
Depth: 65mm
Geographical and cultural origin
• People: Dogon.
• Region: Bandiagara Escarpment, Mali.
• Stylistic features: The work displays the essential codes of Dogon statuary. It presents a slender silhouette, roughly carved geometric shapes, a trunk marked with chevron scarifications on the abdomen, and a simplified, ovoid head almost merged into the mass. The wood shows significant surface erosion, typical of objects that have spent many years in rock niches or on outdoor altars.
Ritual use and gesture
• The raised-arms gesture: It is one of the most famous and powerful themes of Dogon art. This gesture of devotion and supplication is a ritual prayer for rain, essential for the survival of millet crops in the Sahelian zone. By extension, it symbolizes the unbreakable link between the heavens (the creator god Amma) and the earth.
• The Nommo and Tellem myth: Historically, these figures are associated with the Nommo spirits (the mythical twin water-regulating beings of cosmic order) or with the Tellem ancestors, the people who occupied the cliffs before the Dogon arrived in the 14th century. The Dogon often recovered and integrated statues predating their own cult.
• Altar function (Dege): These statuettes were placed by elders or priests on family or collective altars (the Binu). They served as a spiritual contact point to honor the clan’s ancestors, to secure their goodwill, and to invoke fertility for women as well as abundance of crops.
Fast and protected shipping. Packages are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in France in 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days throughout the European Union via Chronopost International. Delivery via Colissimo International to the rest of Europe and worldwide
We speak english.
mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
