Male Figure
Dogon
1701–1800
- Medium
- Wood, pigment, and sacrificial material
- Dimensions
- 99.7 × 15.6 × 16.6 cm (39 1/4 × 6 1/8 × 6 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- sculpture
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
ritualancestorsfigures (representations)dogonwoodNorthern Africa and the Sahelstatussculpturewood (plant material)african Artarts of Africacarvingaltaradhesionsacrificesacrificial material
About
Made for a large altar honoring ancestors, this figure’s crusty surface resulted from repeated ritual applications of sacrificial materials including animal blood, millet porridge, plant juice, and oil, infusing it with a vital energy. Its braided hairstyle, thin beard, amulet-pendant, and ritual staff (on his left shoulder) suggest that this figure portrays a high-ranking man. The extremely dry environment of the cave where it was stored helped to preserve it.
