Standing Shrine Figure

Dogon, Mali
19th century or earlier

Provenance: Private French collection. This ancient Dogon figure was placed in a sacred shrine and used in ritual context. Its surface is covered in a thick sacrificial crust. Analysis on similar pieces reveal that such patina is often composed of blood and millet poured over the figure during ritual libations. Such figures were linked to family rituals and fertility. The gracious proportions and position of the figure evoke the ancient art of the Tellem, predecessors of the Dogon who settled in the Bandiagara Escarpment in the XIth century.