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Figure with Raised Arms (?)

14th 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.
Later Dogon settlers who encountered Tellem works both appropriated the artifacts for their own altars and also took creative inspiration from them. The few examples of Tellem sculpture found undisturbed by researchers in the twentieth century range from highly abstract to naturalistic representations. Their distinctive gesture of raised arms has been interpreted as a prayer for rain. Such works accrued their thick organic surfaces over the course of successive applications of offerings such as millet porridge or the blood of sacrificial animals.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Figure with Raised Arms (?)
  • Date: 14th century
  • Geography: Mali
  • Culture: Tellem civilization
  • Medium: Wood, organic materials
  • Dimensions: Approx. H. 32 11/16 × W. 4 1/8 × D. 4 in. (83 × 10.5 × 10.2 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Private collection
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing