ticketsMember | Make a donation

Figure

1218–1270
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 exodus of Soninke residents from centers such as Jenne-jeno by 1400 likely led some among them to resettle in the nearby Bandiagara plateau. That locale’s arid climate preserved wood sculpture, which was produced there as early as the tenth century. Some among these early wood artifacts formally resemble fired-clay and cast-metal artistic creations made in the Middle Niger valley.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Figure
  • Date: 1218–1270
  • Geography: Mali
  • Culture: Soninke peoples
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: H. 23 × W. 5 × D. 4 in. (58.4 × 12.7 × 10.2 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Collection of Richard H. Scheller
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing