Dogon Ritual Container with Figure on Horse, African Start Price USD 340.00 Current Price USD 340.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, July 22, 2008 End Time Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about 'Dogon Ritual Container with Figure on Horse, African' Description Ritual Container Supported by Horse with Kneeling Figure on Top Type of Object: Ritual container, carving Ethnic Group: DogonCountry of Origin: MaliMaterials: Wood, organic materialDimensions: 22 inches tall Overall Condition: goodDamage, Repair: Heavy and worn patina, crack down most of lid, chipping Additional Information: This extraordinary sculpted container so impressive in its imagery, condition and size comes from the Dogon people. Among the Dogon of the Bandiagara escarpment near the Niger River in Mali, art and mythology are often the same, sharing visual images whether carved or spoken of during their rituals. The kneeling female figure at the top has multiple references either to mythology or to the owner of this ceremonial container, the ritual leader of the village known as the Hogon. The kneeling female figure holds her left arm upwards in a gesture reminiscent of other Dogon figures representing Nommo with their arms upraised in supplication for water. It could equally represent one of the female promordial ancestors of the Dogon known as nommo who raises her arm in supplication for water to assure water and sustenance to the family, clan and village. This gesture of sustenance is appropriate serving as a lid for a container that my have contained food or a form of butter. The horse supporting the bowl refers to the horse that carried the nommo from the sky to their abode on the earth. The specific use of a sculpted container such as this is difficult to determine however the symbolic significance of the different figures and the zig-zag markings representing either water or a sacred serpent shows its obvious age and indicates extended use and wear through time. A vessel such as this interesting example is kept in the lineage elder’s house and used to hold food or tabacco to be given to ancestors during annual rites that take place during the winter solstice known as ‘goru’. Recommended Reading: Imperato, PJ.P., Dogon Cliff Dwellers. 1978 Ezra, K. Art of the Dogon. 1988. **021510** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!