Marionette ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3033057

Description

wood, dark brown patina, a female half figure with high tapering headgear rising from a long staff, partly stud with metal sheet, min. dam., minor missing parts, fissures, slight traces of abrasion;
presumably belonging to a puppet figure “merekun”. The puppet theatre “sogo bò” is subject to the patronage of “kamalen ton”, a society of boys coming from one village community. The theatre consists of a sequence of singular scenes, interrupted by short performances of singing and dancing.

The object Marionette with the object ID 3033057 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 271.

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Comparing literature

Bambara sculpture from the Western Sudan, New York 1960, p. 34, ill. 42