Dogan Female Ancestor Figure

Creator

Preview

Culture

Dogon people

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

10 x 1 3/4 x 2 in. (25.4 x 4.44 x 5.08 cm)

13.79 oz. (391.1 g)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.6

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris ('46) from Von Barghahn Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 16, 1976.

Condition

The piece has suffered considerable damage, including the loss of the bottom portion and a deep indentation in the crown of the head.

References

Brad Hostetler, with Ani Parnagian, "From Private to Public: The Collection of David P. Harris," in Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, eds. Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5–25. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

The pregnant female figure, carved from a light tan wood, has suffered considerable damage, yet the face retains considerable power, much deriving from the long, arrow-shaped nose and expressive arched eyebrows.