Western Sudan (Dogon?) / Standing Male Figure / ?12th??17th century

Western Sudan (Dogon?)
Standing Male Figure
?12th??17th century
View Larger Image

View Full Catalog Record Below

This image is one of over 108,000 from the AMICA Library (formerly The Art Museum Image Consortium Library- The AMICO Library™), a growing online collection of high-quality, digital art images from over 20 museums around the world. www.davidrumsey.com/amica offers subscriptions to this collection, the finest art image database available on the internet. EVERY image has full curatorial text and can be studied in depth by zooming into the smallest details from within the Image Workspace.

Preview the AMICA Library™ Public Collection in Luna Browser Now

Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
Types of works include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, costumes, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs, textiles, decorative art, books and manuscripts.

Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com .

Creator Nationality: African; North African; Sahelese; Sudanese; Dogon
Creator Dates/Places: Western Sudan (Dogon?)
Creator Name-CRT: Western Sudan (Dogon?)
Title: Standing Male Figure
View: Principal view
Creation Start Date: 1100
Creation End Date: 1699
Creation Date: ?12th??17th century
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Materials and Techniques: wood
Dimensions: H. 25 3/8 in. (64.5 cm)
Description:

Although its precise culture and date of origin are unknown, this work is intriguing for both stylistic and chronological reasons. Its abstract, protuberant facial features, spare but elegant dress, and prestigious objects relate it to Dogon sculptures, but its style and iconography share much in common with that of Inland Niger Delta terracottas of the twelfth to seventeenth centuries as well. Indeed, it has been suggested that this sculpture is contemporaneous with these terracottas, a hypothesis that has been reinforced by early radiocarbon dates .

This wooden sculpture depicts a distinguished elder whose demeanor, attire, and presentation command respect. His short trousers and cotton cap are characteristic of traditional Dogon dress, and the L-shaped wooden staff slung over his right shoulder is used as a weapon, tool, and ritual object by Dogon men. Accoutrements such as the decorative pendant hanging about his neck and the knife strapped to his left arm call attention to and reinforce the man's dignity and high status.

At present it is not possible to definitely assert that this work was made by the Dogon themselves or a neighboring people. One of the many figures with unquestionably Sahelian features but uncertain provenance, this work and others like it are legacies of a region and history that we are only beginning to understand.

AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York
ID Number: 1985.422.2
Credit Line: Gift of Lester Wunderman, 1985
Copyright: Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_photo_lib.asp
AMICA ID: MMA_.1985.422.2
AMICA Library Year: 2002
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright (c) 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All Rights Reserved

AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder.