Figure with Raised Arms

16th–17th 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.

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.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

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)
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing