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Figure

Late 15th–early 17th century

Not on view

Responding to the natural curvature of the wood, the author of this utterly original work created a monumental figure striking for its suggestion of gently swaying bodily movement. Head, shoulders, and breasts are concentrated at one end of the torso, while the legs terminate in a post for anchoring the figure into the earth. At the time of its collection, in 1935, this work no longer played an active social role and was instead partially buried, serving as a post for hitching horses. At that time, the villagers of Yayé attributed it to a period in the distant past prior to the arrival of the Dogon.

Figure, Wood, Dogon peoples — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Figure

Date: Late 15th–early 17th century

Geography: Mali, Yayé

Culture: Dogon peoples

Medium: Wood

Dimensions: H. 51 15/16 × W. 12 3/16 × D. 5 1/2 in. (132 × 31 × 14 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Paris

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.