H x W x D: 23.2 x 7.8 x 14.8 cm (9 1/8 x 3 1/16 x 5 13/16 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Côte d'Ivoire
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
This equestrian figure is of a type used by a sando diviner. Sandogo is the woman's divination society among the Senufo. Its members maintain the relationships between the villagers and the rather complex Senufo hierarchy of spiritual beings. This is done by dealing with daily personal problems on a one to one basis through a system of divination. Part of the core equipment needed by a diviner are small figures for display. A more successful diviner has more and better carved figures. The equestrian figure in wood, cast brass or forged iron is the most common optional figure. It always depicts a male figure mounted on a horse, usually with a conical or brimmed war hat and spear. A northern import, the equestrian theme conveys power, wealth and status.
Description:
Wood equestrian figure composed of a horse with two stylized joined plank legs and a male rider with conical hat or hair, long jaw, flat rectangular shoulders, a spear in the proper right arm, and the proper left arm with an elongated lower arm.
Provenance:
Eliot Elisofon, New York, before 1959 to 1973
Exhibition History:
The African Image: A New Selection of Tribal Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, February 1-22, 1956, no. 56
Published References:
Glaze, Anita. 1981. Art and Death in a Senufo Village.Bloomington: Indiana University Press, p. 71, no. 36.
Goldwater, Robert. 1964. Senufo Sculpture from West Africa. New York: Museum of Primitive Art; Greenwich: New York Graphic Society, no. 98.
Plass, Margaret. 1959. The African Image: A New Selection of Tribal Art. Toledo: The Toledo Museum of Art, no. 56.
Content Statement:
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