altar statue - Dogon - Mali






Holds a postgraduate degree in African studies and 15 years experience in African art.
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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 Cliffs, Mali.
• Stylistic characteristics: The work displays the essential codes of Dogon statuary. It features a slender silhouette, roughly carved geometric forms, a trunk marked with chevron scarifications on the abdomen, and a simplified, almost mass-perfect oval head. The wood shows significant surface erosion, typical of objects that have resided for many years in rock crevices or on outdoor altars.
Ritual use and gesture
• The raised-arms gesture: This is one of the most famous and powerful themes in Dogon art. This gesture of devotion and supplication is a ritual prayer for rain, indispensable for the survival of millet crops in the Sahelian zone. By extension, it symbolizes the unbreakable link between the sky (the creator god Amma) and the earth.
• The Nommo and Tellem myth: Historically these figures are associated with the Nommo spirits (the mythical twin regents of water and cosmic order) or the Tellem ancestors, the people who inhabited the cliffs before the Dogon arrived in the 14th century. The Dogon often retrieved and incorporated statues predating their own cult.
• Altar function (Dege): These statues were placed by elders or priests on family or communal altars (the Binu). They served as a spiritual contact point to honor the clan’s ancestors, seek their benevolence, and solicit the fertility of women as well as the abundance of harvests.
Fast, protected shipping. Parcels are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France 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 Cliffs, Mali.
• Stylistic characteristics: The work displays the essential codes of Dogon statuary. It features a slender silhouette, roughly carved geometric forms, a trunk marked with chevron scarifications on the abdomen, and a simplified, almost mass-perfect oval head. The wood shows significant surface erosion, typical of objects that have resided for many years in rock crevices or on outdoor altars.
Ritual use and gesture
• The raised-arms gesture: This is one of the most famous and powerful themes in Dogon art. This gesture of devotion and supplication is a ritual prayer for rain, indispensable for the survival of millet crops in the Sahelian zone. By extension, it symbolizes the unbreakable link between the sky (the creator god Amma) and the earth.
• The Nommo and Tellem myth: Historically these figures are associated with the Nommo spirits (the mythical twin regents of water and cosmic order) or the Tellem ancestors, the people who inhabited the cliffs before the Dogon arrived in the 14th century. The Dogon often retrieved and incorporated statues predating their own cult.
• Altar function (Dege): These statues were placed by elders or priests on family or communal altars (the Binu). They served as a spiritual contact point to honor the clan’s ancestors, seek their benevolence, and solicit the fertility of women as well as the abundance of harvests.
Fast, protected shipping. Parcels are sent with a tracking number. Delivery in 1 to 3 days in France 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
