TELLEM Mali, region of Bandiagara h 37,8 cm Ritual... Lot 14

TELLEM Mali, region of Bandiagara h 37,8 cm Ritual figure. Hardwood covered with a mixture of sacrificial substances which give the sculpture its black colour.The rudimentary face enables you to see eyes, a mouth and a thick beard. It seems to be a vague image of a deceased member of the group, after the shroud that enveloped them from time immemorial was opened.The sculpture represents the ancestral figure of a human body in a standing position. The arms raised high recall the gesture of a Nommo, a frequently used image in Dogon statue work because it depicts one of the primal beings of their complex mythology. They are people that French anthropologist Marcel Griaule, on his missions to French Sudan between 1928 and 1956, made known to the rest of the world. PROVENANCE Galleria Peter Kohler, Ascona (1961); Galleria Maria Wyss, Basle (*); Collection of Walter Schwab, Bern (Inv. WS 24); NOTE Lot not located at Finarte offices but in Switzerland. It could be subject to customs costs related to the importation into the buyer’s country. In any event, any customs cost and/or burden related to importation shall be borne by the buyer. For more information, please write an email to arteafricana@finarte.it LITERATURE FISCHER EBERHARD & HIMMELHEBER HANS "Die Kunst der Dan" Rietberg Museum Zurich 1976; FISCHER EBERHARD & HOMBERGER LORENZ "Die Kunst der Guro" Rietberg Museum Zurich 1985;