Malian Sculptures and Carvings

A very engaging and beautifully weathered fertility sculpture/ statue by the Dogon people of inland West Africa who today reside primarily in Mali. The Dogon peoples are best known f...

African granery Dogon style door Sculpture with figures, from Mali. This is an amazing piece of African Folk Art of a quickly disappearing ethnic group, functioning as a decorative mounted hand carved piece of art. Fantastic hand carved African door with custom made black metal sculpture stand. Superb hand carved African wood door that tells a story of a family and their progeny presented on a custom made black iron stand. An African hand-carved wood door on custom stand with a wonderfully rustic appearance, with hand-carved accents and cut-outs adorning it's front side, and maintains its original iron hardware and decorative iron elements. The door has a wonderful aged patina. This African door stands 30" tall (on its stand) making a great decorative object to fill a void within a room, while adding architectural interest and rich texture. Door measures : 27.5" H without the hinge by 18" w 1.5" D. Stand base is 18"5 x 8"x 30" total Height. This stunning door has a number of human figures carved in relief including pointed breasts strongly framed along the edges. Most Dogon carvings of humans refer to primordial ancestors known as Nommo who brought humankind to earth and who were the first farmers and blacksmiths. The Dogon inhabit the large austere Bandiagara plateau, with most of the villages situated on cliffs to the north and the east. At first hunters, they now cultivate their staple diet of millet, and also sorghum, and wheat on the cliff tops, which they have had to convert due to the scarcity of water sources. The Dogon are among African cultures that have remained closest to their ancestral traditions. One such tradition is building granaries and houses for grain storage. Doors of these granaries are often adorned with impressive carvings of animals or people which serve as invocations of deities or spirits, or as symbols of status. The stored grain is considered "safe" when it is guarded by the ancestors whose images are depicted on granary doors...

Small African pharmacy cabinet made of wood of the Dogon ethnic group. This small cabinet with two movable flaps on three legs was designed to store medicinal preparations made according to the advice of the elders who had been initiated into the science of trees or "Jiridon". The walls are carved with figures of the mythical ancestors Nommos, genii associated with the creation of the world, providing health and fertility and activating healing power. The Dogon are a people famous for their cosmogony, esotericism, myths and legends. Their population is estimated at about 300,000 souls living in the southwest of the Niger Loop in the Mopti region of Mali (Bandiagara, Koro, Banka), near Douentza and in part of northern Burkina (northwest of Ouahigouya). The villages are often located on the tops of scree slopes on the flanks of the hills and have unique architecture. The history of the migration and settlement of the Dogon (about ten main groups, about fifteen different languages), is characterized by several hypotheses. Some historians believe that the Dogon fled after an attack from an area west of their present location. Today, the artisanal blacksmiths of the Dogon, who form an endogamous caste called Irim, make weapons and tools and also work with wood. They are "masters of fire" and are said to heal burns (Huib Blom). Satin brown patina. Ex collection of African art from France.

A simply magnificent work by the Bobo tribe in Burkina Faso, Mali. These masks, which share stylized features of humans and animals, are referred to as Butterfly masks (because o...

For your consideration, a stunning antique African tribal Dogon hand forged iron horse and rider, West Africa, circa 1920s. Dimensions: H 7.5 in. x W 12 in. x D 3 in. Original an...

A Dogon Mali Dama ceremonial dance mask from the early to mid-20th century. This Dogon tribal wooden ceremonial dance mask originates from Mali, West Africa. The mask is carved to re...

A wonderfully carved mask from the Bamana (Bambara) tribe of Mali. This mask, which has clear signs of wear and use, is a Kore mask and was made to be worn during initiation society ...

A Boli fetish animal from the Bamana peoples of Mali. These fetish animals are spiritual objects consisting of a wood core covered in organic matter that are said to contain a force ...

Bamana people hand-carved and tribally used antique female and child Chi-Wara Antelope headdress/statue which comes from Mali, Africa. The Chi-Wara ...

Beautifully hand carved Wood Bowl with inticate detail.

A selection of model Dogon ladders, mounted. Replicas of mush larger hand-hewn ladders traditionally used by the Dogon peoples of Mali to access cliff Dwellings. Dimensions vary. Tal...