Museum collection · Art Institute of Chicago · 144353
Male Figure
Dogon Bandiagara region, Mali Northern Africa and the Sahel, Possibly 18th century
Art Institute of Chicago · Janie Brill Memorial Fund; Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment · Public domain
- Artist
- Dogon Bandiagara region, Mali Northern Africa and the Sahel
- Date
- Possibly 18th century
- Medium
- Wood, pigment, and sacrificial material
- Dimensions
- 99.7 × 15.6 × 16.6 cm (39 1/4 × 6 1/8 × 6 1/2 in.)
- Era
- Museum collection
Why it matters
Made for a large altar honoring ancestors, this figure’s crusty surface resulted from repeated ritual applications of sacrificial materials including animal blood, millet porridge, plant juice, and oil, infusing it with a vital energy. Its braided hairstyle, thin beard, amulet-pendant, and ritual staff (on his left shoulder) suggest that this figure portrays a high-ranking man. The extremely dry environment of the cave where it was stored helped to preserve it.