Standing male figure ·  Madagascar, Sakalava · ID: 3037501

Description

wood, matt middle brown patina, traces of black pigment, the right arm raised, possibly once holding a spear, the body originally sewn in finely woven cotton fabric, slightly dam., cracks, missing parts (both foot tips, headdress), metal plate;
very little is known about early figurative sculpture of the Sakalava. Apparently the Madagasy people considered nakedness to be particularly disasterful, and genitals have not been included in the sculpture.

Comparing literature

Jack, Anthony, Africa, Relics of the Colonial Era, London 1991, cover