一个陶土雕塑 - Bankoni - Bamana - 马里 (没有保留价)

A fragmentary terracotta figure, attributed to the Bankoni tradition, collected near Bla, Ségou Region, Mali, on the route from Ségou toward Bobo-Dioulasso.

The figure is modeled in a strongly vertical and highly stylized manner, rising from a broad, approximately circular base. Its elongated body culminates in an exceptionally high, crest-like head or headdress. The face is rendered with pronounced projecting features, while applied elements running along one side of the torso create a distinctive, almost serrated silhouette. On the opposite side of the upper body, a smaller anthropomorphic or head-like form projects from the principal figure. Modeled bands and additional projecting elements articulate the lower part of the body and its transition into the substantial base.

The surface is extensively weathered and abraded, with localized losses, deposits and encrustation. Traces of reddish-orange coloration as well as darker areas remain visible on the figure. These may represent remnants of an earlier surface treatment or pigmentation, although their nature could only be established through technical examination.

Stylistically, the sculpture can be related to the broad corpus of terracotta figures conventionally associated with the Bankoni tradition of Mali. Named after archaeological sites at Bankoni near Bamako, this sculptural tradition encompasses anthropomorphic and zoomorphic terracottas distinguished by vigorous hand modeling, elongated proportions, prominent heads and coiffures or headdresses, and applied and incised details. Considerable formal diversity exists within the material attributed to Bankoni, and the relationship between individual regional groups and archaeological sites remains incompletely understood.

The reported collection location near Bla is of particular interest. Bla lies southeast of Ségou, considerably east of the Bankoni type-site near Bamako and along an old axis of communication extending toward the present-day Burkina Faso. The provenance therefore places the figure within a wider geographical context of terracotta production and circulation in southern Mali. In the absence of a documented archaeological find context, however, an attribution to the Bankoni tradition should be understood primarily as a stylistic and cultural classification rather than identification with a particular excavated site.

The original function and meaning of such terracotta figures remain uncertain. The loss of archaeological context for many examples makes specific interpretations as ancestors, divinities, ritual specialists or protective figures difficult to substantiate. Likewise, associations with historically documented Bamana institutions and practices should be approached cautiously. The chronological and cultural relationship between archaeological terracotta traditions and the much later ethnographically recorded sculptural traditions of Mali is complex and cannot automatically be inferred from similarities of form or geographical proximity.

Selected literature:

McIntosh, Roderick J. The Peoples of the Middle Niger: The Island of Gold. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998.

McIntosh, Susan Keech, ed. Excavations at Jenné-jeno, Hambarketolo, and Kaniana (Inland Niger Delta, Mali), the 1981 Season. University of California Publications in Anthropology 20. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.

LaGamma, Alisa. Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020.

Ezra, Kate. Art of the Dogon: Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988.

Phillips, Tom, ed. Africa: The Art of a Continent. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1995.

Bassani, Ezio. African Art and Artefacts in European Collections 1400–1800. London: British Museum Press, 2000.

Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history.

Inv. No. MAZ25400

Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor.
All bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery

Our Gallery addresses these structural challenges through a policy of maximum transparency and documentation. Should any questions or uncertainties arise, we invite you to contact us. Each matter will be reviewed diligently using all available resources.