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Figure with Raised Arms

Dogon or Tellem civilization

16th–17th century

Not on view

The gesture of extending both arms above the head has been interpreted as an entreaty for rain. During the period in which this work was likely carved, rainfall in the Sahel is known to have significantly increased following a period of drought. The two-sided composition of this planar sculpture is powerful in silhouette and plays with subtle relief elements. On the front, the abbreviated arms frame an oval projection of the head that aligns with traces of raised elements suggestive of the navel and female genitalia. Embedded within an otherwise blank expanse on the reverse is a human figure that echoes the work’s overall form in miniature.

Figure with Raised Arms, Wood, organic materials, Dogon or Tellem civilization — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Figure with Raised Arms, Wood, organic materials, Dogon or Tellem civilization

Figure with Raised Arms, Wood, organic materials, Dogon or Tellem civilization

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

© Archives Fondation Dapper, photo by Hughes Dubois

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

© Archives Fondation Dapper, photo by Hughes Dubois

Title: Figure with Raised Arms

Date: 16th–17th century

Geography: Mali, Ibi

Culture: Dogon or Tellem civilization

Medium: Wood, organic materials

Dimensions: H. 17 11/16 × W. 8 × D. 5 in. (45 × 20.3 × 12.7 cm)

Classification: Wood-Sculpture

Credit Line: Fondation Dapper, Paris (0063)

Rights and Reproduction: © Archives Fondation Dapper–Hughes Dubois Photo

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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.