Standing female figure
Mali, Dogon
sold
EUR 2,000
Provenance
Joan Oestreich Kend (died April 2016), New York, USAMrs. Kends parents, Charles and Sophy Oestreich, began collecting art in the early 1950s. Their collection reflects a generations-long affinity for carefully curating beautiful works of art, including Impressionist and Modern Art, Chinese Works of Art, and Americana. Joan not only inherited works from her parents exquisite collection, she also inherited their passion for collecting and their appreciation for art in a variety of forms.
Size
H: 56 cm
H: 22.0 inch
Description
ligth brown wood, remains of a slightly encrusted patina, strong slightly bent legs, hands resting on the thighs, tribe-typical facial features with arrow-shaped nose and cap-like headgear, rest. (hand), missing parts (navel), traces of abrasion, base.
The Dogon placed male and female figures on altars, which mostly were dedicated to ancestors, either of real or of mythical origin. The figurative sculpture is called “dege” and was used to be poured with ritual liquids. Such sacrificial materials were looked upon as vehicles for “nyama”, the vital force that determines a persons mental and physical well-being and allows a person to live at all.