Standing figure (dege)
Artist Unidentified
19th–20th century
Object PlaceMali
Medium/TechniqueWood, pigment
Dimensions50.8 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm (20 x 6 x 6 in.)
Credit LineGift of William E. and Bertha L. Teel
Accession number1994.404
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Dogon blacksmith carvers fashioned images of their lineage ancestors in a wide range of regional styles. This elongated, simplified figure exhibits a softer, more flowing body form than many other Dogon works. The long bowed torso, dangling arms, and thin neck supporting the head's small face all emphasize negative space and vertical, curving elements.
ProvenanceBy 1983, sold by Moussa Diané (dealer), Bamako, Mali, to Reginald Groux (dealer), Paris [see note 1]. 1985, Pace Ancient and Primitive Art, New York; May, 1985, given by Pace Ancient and Primitive Art to William E. and Bertha L. Teel, Marblehead, MA; 1994, partial gift of William and Bertha Teel to the MFA; 2014, acquired fully with the bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Dates: January 26, 1994 and February 26, 2014)NOTES:
[1] Illustrated in an advertisement for Reginald Groux's gallery in "Arts d'Afrique Noire," 1983, vol. 48, p. 25.
