Sakalava or Vezo sculpture representing a pair of wrestlers, Madagascar
Wood (hazomalanga) delicately eroded, white iridescence of salt spray
H. 72 cm
Sakalava or Vezo pair of wrestlers, Madagascar
H. 28 1/2 in
Provenance:
- Collection Jacques Kerchache
- Private collection, Paris
Publications:
- L'art africain, Citadelles, Paris, 1988. N° 824, p. 471.
- Arts anciens de Madagascar, 5 continents, 2015. Ill. 174 and 175, p. 295 and 296.
Who better than the art historian Bertrand Goy, an undisputed specialist in the ancient arts of Madagascar, can inform us about the importance of this masterful sculpture? "Without any legend or instructions, one can only admire the rare spectacle of this embracing duo, taken on the spot at the moment of executing a sort of pas de deux.
However, the wearing of the salaka, this kind of protective cover used during pugilistic confrontations, lets suppose that they are wrestlers. (...)
The author of this sculpture captures with great talent this moment when the bodies grab each other and test each other, the first phase of the ritual, a round of observation before the violent decisive hold that will make the opponent falter. The hand-to-hand combat of these two men, twins right down to the tuft of hair, offers a picture of such symmetry that one might believe oneself to be in a game of mirrors."
Bertrand Goy, Arts anciens de Madagascar, 2015.
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