Antelope dance crest "tjiwara" ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3041266

Description

wood, brown patina, remains of black paint, red pigment, cord material, combining aardvark, pangolin and the horns of the roan antelope, fine incised and notched ornaments, fixed on grass fibre cap with small crossbars for strengthening, old collection number “211”, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, base;
the performance of “tjiwara” dance crests was closely linked to agricultural life, resp. the cultivating of land. Legend has it that man had been taught the skills of farming by three animals, the aardvark, the pangolin and the python. This is why these animals are often part of “tjiwara” representations.

The object Antelope dance crest “tjiwara” with the object ID 3041266 was part of the auction 84th Tribal Art Auction on November 5, 2016. The object with the lot number 136 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000 with an asking price of EUR 3,500.

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Comparing literature

Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Zürich 2001, ill. 225 ff.