Fine Dogon Tellem Figure, Mali
Wood, encrustations, metal
Height 19 1/2in

Provenance
New York Private Collection

In Dogon art, the most common interpretation of the gesture of hands raised high above the head is a prayer for rain. Kate Ezra notes, 'Pleas for rain are made not only at the andugo altars, but also at altars dedicated to a family's ancestors, the binu, and Lebe. All of these altars are the focus of one of the most important Dogon rituals, called bulu, the same term that is also used in a general way for all sacrifices. Bulu takes place every year at the beginning of the planting season. At the climax of this ritual, the hogon and various binu priests climb the roofs of their sanctuaries and throw down to the assembled crowd heads of millet from sacred fields, which are to be used in planting that year's crop. A photograph of this ritual shows a priest flinging the grain with arms raised and outstretched (Ganay, Solange de, Le Binou Yébéné, Miscellanea Africana Lebaudy, no. 2, Paris, 1942, pl.IIIb). The same gesture that invokes the heavens to send down rain may also capture the motion that results in the other essential component of a good harvest--seeds impregnated with the life force of the ancestors and binu.' (Art of the Dogon: Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, p. 59)

Finely carved with balanced proportions, the naturalistic lower torso with legs bent at the knees and feet firmly planted on the rounded base supporting the upper torso with abstract arms raised high above in a squared design emphasizing verticality; the abstract cylindrical head with a metal rod with bells inserted into the top; fine, black patina, with ritual encrustations having craquelure throughout.

Old loss and age distress line to front of base; craqueleur to surface throughout with some loss to encrustation; minor nicks, scratches, abrasions and wear consistent with age. Custom base.