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Male Figure

possibly 1300s–1600s
Terracotta
Overall: 19.7 cm (7 3/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1985.199
Location: 108A Sub-Saharan
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

While we don’t know who made this work, it can be hypothesized that it was a woman; today, as in much of Africa, potters in Mali are female.

Description

Figures like this would have been used in rituals by the ancestors of the present-day inhabitants of the Inland Niger Delta. Representing the gods and kings or queens associated with the region’s former residents, the figures received prayers and offerings in exchange for their support. The seated position of this male has been interpreted as a harmful pose intended to bring death to an individual.
Male Figure

Male Figure

possibly 1300s–1600s

Africa, West Africa, Mali, probably Djenné-Djenno, Inland Niger Delta culture-style maker

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