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Seated Hermaphrodite Figure

18th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
In Dogon society, sculptures that were used to petition higher powers for sustenance and new life have historically been the creations of professional blacksmiths. Each village typically has several families that specialize in smithing. Mystical powers allow them to deploy earth, air, and fire to make the iron tools upon which agriculture, and thus society at large, depend. The voluminous corpus of sculptural works they produce in cast metal and carved wood, while richly diverse, often emphasizes a graphic, angular definition of the human figure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Seated Hermaphrodite Figure
  • Date: 18th century
  • Geography: Mali
  • Culture: Dogon peoples
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: H. 30 3/8 × W. (approx.) 9 × D. (approx.) 13 in. (77.2 × 22.9 × 33 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Collection of James J. and Laura Ross
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing