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.

The object Standing male figure with the object ID 3037501 was part of the auction 78th tribal art auction on October 18, 2014. The object with the lot number 524 achieved a sales price of EUR 850 with an asking price of EUR 800.

You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.

Comparing literature

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