Standing female figure ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3032388

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, encrusted with clay, rising from a round base, extremely long arms, stylized facial features and crested coiffure, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, paint rubbed off, on metal plate;
these figures belong to female societies and were used for the education of young girls. They were displayed on funerals and presumably on certain fertility and rain-making rituals as well. According to H. Leloup they were called “so-ma-so” (“listen to me”), a sentence effective for education and for prayers for fertility as well.

The object Standing female figure with the object ID 3032388 was part of the auction 68th tribal art auction on March 3, 2012. The object with the lot number 295 achieved a sales price of EUR 18,000 with an asking price of EUR 6,000.

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Comparing literature

Vogel, Susan, For spirits and kings, African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, New York 1981, p. 16