Ti Wara
Bambara · Mali
Reference: MFG-22
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- Height
- 67 cm
- Material
- Wood and pigments.
Masked top Bambara Ti Wara depicting a female antelope, hypothragus, wearing a kneeling female figure on her head, double symbol of fertility. This piece receives in…
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Full original description
Masked top Bambara Ti Wara depicting a female antelope, hypothragus, wearing a kneeling female figure on her head, double symbol of fertility. This piece receives in the region from where it comes, Bougonni, in Mali, the name Gouzougou and the antelope gouzoungou. According to one legend, the representation of hypothragus or antelope hair recalls that this animal would have given man the first cereals and would then have taught him to cultivate the land.
It is an anthropozoomorphic mask. The antelope is composed of an animal body and a woman's face and torso plus another small female figure, which underlines the important role that women play in the agricultural tasks, but evokes tempien, for the Bambarathe analogy between the sexual act and the work of the earth, the fertility of the woman and the fields.
Further technical information
- Width
- 16 cm
- Attributed period
- Mid-century XX or earlier.
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
Mali. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.
