Door lock with couple
Rural and urban Sahelian residents sponsored blacksmiths to carve visual accents to enhance their homes and mark their social status. The exteriors of Dogon granaries and ancestral shrines feature windows placed midway up the wall, often fitted with wood shutters and locks. Their imagery often emphasizes fertility and reproduction, complementing prayers for a successful harvest from the seeds stored within. Abstracted representations of a male and a female figure extend from the summit of this door lock, emphasizing a balanced and harmonious union. Near the base, fecundity is further emphasized in the depiction of four rounded breasts.
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