Lot n° 49
Estimation :
3000 - 5000
EUR
Dogon cane summit - Lot 49
Dogon cane summit
Mali
Wood
Height: 24.1 cm
Provenance: Sotheby's London
Sotheby's London, July 8, 1969, lot 168
Christophe Tzara Collection, Paris
Egon Guenther Collection, Johannesburg
Sotheby's New-York, "African Art from the Egon
Guenther Family Collection", November 18, 2000, lot 36
Private collection, acquired at this sale
Forming the end of a cane, whose curved shape enabled it to be carried on the shoulder, this sculpture, articulated on a narrow vertical axis and whose composition bears witness to a fragile but masterful balance, presents a hermaphrodite figure. The figure in the round sits proudly on a stool. In addition to its seated position, which defies the laws of physics and attests to the importance of the figure depicted, the figure's impression of floating, as if in suspension, is conveyed by the openwork space formed between the legs and the stool, symbolizing the transcendence of the mythical being. Authority and dignity are expressed in the immobility of the pose, conferring power and prestige on this cane element.
The features and contours, though softened by the passage of time and softened by the ancient crusty patina, shiny on the protruding parts, reflect a sculptural power characteristic of Dogon statuary, with angular, exacerbated volumes. Fertility and fecundity are expressed through the exaggerated chest, strongly projected into space, and the bubbled abdomen with its protruding navel.
Displaying both feminine attributes - the chest - and masculine ones - the beard collar - the effigy's hermaphroditic nature would represent a mythical ancestor, reflecting the ambivalence and duality of gender in Dogon cosmology. It is believed that Amma, the creator god, and Nommo, the primordial ancestor, both possess feminine and masculine characteristics, hermaphroditism playing an important role in the representation of the principles of creation and the complementarity of forces in the universe.
Red-brown paste inlaid with the word "EG", written in white pigment on the underside. Rare in the corpus, this cane top can be compared with the example from the Peter and Veena Schnell collection, carved with a hermaphrodite figure of similar workmanship.
The photo shows the top of a Dogon cane from the Gunther collection.
The photo will be offered to the buyer.
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