Estimate
€ 1.000 - 1.200
Sold
€ 1.024
The price includes buyer's premium
Do you have a similar item you would like to sell?
Information
Implement in the shape of a four-legged animal.
These implements, made by Bambara blacksmiths, but also common among the Dogon people, had different functions. Here, the shape of an animal from the Sahel savannah seems to be linked to hunting rituals.They were likely placed inside family altars as a symbol of the family. (Laude, fig. 82)This is an unusual design that requires a great deal of ability by the blacksmith when working the hot iron. A thick glaze owing to the oxidation of the iron confirms how old this artefact is.A similar implement that also belonged to Han Coray’s collection is published in table 20 of Morigi’s 1968 volume.
Provenance
Galleria Paolo Morigi, Lugano (1976);
Collection of Walter Schwab, Bern (inv. WS 260);
Literature
LAUDE JEAN, African Art of the Dogon: The Myths of the Cliff Dwellers, New York 1973, fig. 82 (116);