Standing female figure
Click here to view a larger version of the image- Homepage
- Auctions
- Auction 103
- Standing female figure
Lot: 359
Standing female figure
Mali, Dogon
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
Julius Carlebach, New York, USA (~1950) Erwin & Susanne Melchardt, Vienna, Austria |
H: 15.2 inch | 12000 EUR / 25000 EUR |
wood, heavily encrusted patina, base
Dogon figurative sculpture was created for shrines. The figures were placed on personal altars, ancestral altars, in "binu" sanctuaries, on altars dedicated to "Nommo" and on "yaupilu" shrines, which are dedicated to the souls of women who died in pregancy or childbirth.
The figures serve as intermediaries between people and a variety of spirit beings, deities and ancestors ("vageu"). They are the locus of prayer and are coated and doused with sacrificial materials. These are vehicles for "nyama", the vital force that determines a person's mental and physical well-being.