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Dogon Kneeling Figure Statue OLD African Sculpture Mali
An Important Early Dogon Master of Ogol Kneeling Figure Encrusted Ancestral Altar Funerary Statue Antique Tribal Art - African Sculpture - Mali
Collected from the: Dogon peoples of the Bandiagara plateau in Mali, West Africa Material: Carved wood, pigment, organic libations, skin oil Period: Late 19th to early 20th century Dimensions: 18" height, 3.75" width, 4.75" depth; weight is 4.00 pounds Condition: Exceptional. This important, museum quality specimen hails from a private Parisian collection. Superior signs of age and wear from authentic tribal use, minute age cracks test stable, back "tail" was lost to time or use judging from surface condition of area, wear-exposed wood displays significant patination, fine encrustation indicative of repeated sacrificial libations, burnished ever-so-slightly oily surface condition at nose, outer arms and thighs suggestive of frequent indigenous handling. Clearly a favored early altar figure, make special note of the sublime facial expression and surface condition - absolutely gorgeous !
Special Note: Over a dozen nearly identical figures have been attributed to a Dogon artist known to Western scholars and collectors as the "Master of Ogol," named after the village in which an example of his work was collected in 1935 for the Musse de l'Homme in Paris. The figures reflect stylistic traits seen frequently in Dogon art, but are set apart by the way in which the horizontal and vertical forms are tightly interlocked and balanced. The artist's signature can be read in the neatly stacked horizontal bands created by the chin, lips, and nostrils and by the way these forms are framed at the top and bottom by the strong verticals of the nose and the cylindrical lip ornament. Little is known about the carver or workshop responsible for this group of figures. Although some of the works were collected in Ogol, a village in the Sanga region where the Griaule missions did much of their research, it has been suggested that at least one of the carvers lived near Wazouba, a village northwest of Ogol on the plateau above the Bandiagara Cliffs.
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Dogon Kneeling Funerary Figure Altar Statue Sacrificial Sculptures and Traditions The kneeling posture assumed by this figure is a common theme in Dogon art, especially in sculptures of women who assume this kneeling pose at funerals as a sign of grief and of gratitude to the deceased for a productive life. Given that many Dogon figures are placed on ancestral altars dedicated to deceased family members, it is possible that the kneeling figures are intended to this gesture with the sentiment it embodies. Women with health problems seek the assistance of the ancestors to whom these altars are dedicated. Not merely ornamental, Dogon altar fetishes can be viewed as a means of collecting and transmitting spiritual forces and of signifying the owner's ongoing relationship with the source of that power. Sacrificial materials were vehicles for nyama, the vital force that determines a person's mental and physical well-being and allows that person to continue living. Nyama existed in all living things, including animals, plants and supernatural beings as well. The Dogon believed that nyama could be liberated from one being and transmitted to another being, as when an animal was killed or a plant crushed. When a sacrifice was made, the nyama of the sacrificial material strengthened and increased the not only the nyama of the spiritual being to whom the sacrifice was offered, but that of the person(s) who performed the sacrifice as well. The Dogon word for sacrifice, bulu, was derived from the verb bulo, meaning "to revivify or resuscitate," which underscores the positive, life-affirming benefits of the ritual. While sacrificial materials might obscure the appearance of the sculpture, the ritual of sacrifice put both the agent and object of the sacrifice in a state of purity, order, freshness and vitality. See Ezra's Art of the Dogon for further details.
Dogon Tribal History The 300,000 Dogon inhabit approximately 700 villages in Mali, primarily along a 125 mile (200 kilometer) stretch of escarpment known as the Cliffs of Bandiagara. These sandstone cliffs run from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the Niger River, and attain heights up to 2000 feet 600 meters (2000 feet). Accounts of early Dogon history vary according to the specific Dogon clan and/or archaeological records consulted, with multiple versions of the Dogon origin myth as well as differing accounts of their migration from early ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara region. The people call themselves 'Dogon' or 'Dogom', but in the older literature they are most often called Habe, a Fulbe word meaning 'stranger' or 'pagan'. Certain theories suggest the tribe descended from an ancient Egyptian race that journeyed first to Libya, then on into regions of Guinea or Mauritania. Around 1490 AD, fleeing Mande invaders and/or drought, they migrated to eventually settle in the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. Legend has it that a snake led them to the cliffs at the southern end of the plateau, where they overwhelmed and usurped the local Tellem and Niongom populations. Carbon dating on remains excavated from the cliffs indicate the Toloy culture of the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, and the Tellem culture of the 11th to 15th centuries AD inhabited the area long before the Dogon arrived. The influence of these earlier cultures continue to be noted in Dogon art to this day.
Dogon livelihood is based on agriculture production concentrated in fields at the edge of the cliffs where water is scarce, but enough for occasional irrigation. Agricultural dependence has recently forced the Dogon to move away from their beloved cliffs onto the more fertile Bongo plains to maintain their agricultural production of millet, of vital importance to feeding the tribes. Onions, one of their only cash crops, are sold as far away as Cote d'Ivoire. Villagers are known to use bark ropes to scale the towering Bandiagara cliffs in search of pigeon guano and Tellem artifacts that are then sold to subsidize their meager existence. As the Dogon are both Muslims and Animists, their social and religious organizations are closely interlinked. Assimilation of the popular Muslim beliefs was initially somewhat limited by topographical isolation and tribal exclusivity. The four principle Dogon cults of the Awa, Lebe, Wagem, and Binu, significantly contribute to the richness and diversity of Dogon culture. For these various cults the hogon is both priest and political chief of the village. The tribe's self-defense comes primarily from their social solidarity which is based on a complex combination of philosophic and religious dogmas, with the fundamental law being the worship of ancestors. Ritual masks and corpses were enshrined in caves and used for ceremonial rituals. All Dogon villages have at least one togu na, a shelter where the men gather, and a Lebe shrine where the Hogon presides over their rituals.
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Please contact us immediately if ~ for any reason ~ you are not pleased with your selection. We will gladly refund the purchase price of any item returned in its original condition within 14 days of dated delivery. Our commitment to 5 Star customer service and satisfaction ensures that YOUR satisfaction is Unconditionally Guaranteed ~ NO questions asked!
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We're delighted to combine shipments and reduce your costs, simply email your Zip/Postal Code PRIOR to making payment. All major credit cards and PayPal are gladly accepted. Payment is expected within 7 days of your purchase. In consideration of discounts given, we respectfully request immediate payment on all Best Offers unless arrangements are made prior to acceptance. Please contact us directly if other payment arrangements are necessary - we're always happy to help!
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