Granary shutter
20th century
Object PlaceMali
Medium/TechniqueWood, metal
DimensionsOverall: 34.3 x 25.5 x 4.5 cm (13 1/2 x 10 1/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2712
On View
Not on viewClassificationsArchitectural elements
Collections
Dogon blacksmith-sculptors created many objects, ranging from stools, masks, and figures to iron objects that have found their way into collections. This weathered shutter once protected a granary. It was mounted halfway up the structure, with the projections at the bottom and top inserted into a wooden frame so the door could open and close. The breasts refer both to human and agricultural fecundity. As building styles changed such doors often became obsolete.
Inscriptionsin black marker on verso: "BB62" (crossed out); in black marker on verso: "DO31C"Provenance1974, acquired in Bamako, Mali by Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
