Ladder "wagem bilu" ("soul ladder") · Mali, Dogon · ID: 3045312

Name: Ladder "wagem bilu" ("soul ladder")
SKU: 3045312
Price: 850 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 850

Provenance

Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium

Size

H: 72,5 cm

H: 28.5 inch

Description

wood, traces of weathering, base

According to a religious belief of the Dogon people, the soul of the head of the clan is preserved inside a clay pot that is placed in a shrine, and small miniature ladders, such as this one, lean against the pot.

This is because when the head of the clan dies, his soul must be able to climb out of its clay pot – with the help of these ladders – so that it may successfully reach the afterlife and the world of its ancestors.

The object Ladder “wagem bilu” (“soul ladder”) with the object ID 3045312 was part of the auction 91 Tribal Art Auction on March 9, 2019. The object with the lot number 111 achieved a sales price of EUR 850 with an asking price of EUR 800.

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