Tribal Art

Collection of African Tribal Art Claude Auge Dogon statuette anchored in a circular block. The arms are missing, isolating narrow shoulders. A hand remains on the thin bust marked with irregular reliefs. A crest underlines the head with erased features, a labret pointing discreetly at the level of the chin. A notch draws a female sex. In African art, this type of sculpture associated with an individual cult adorned the Dogon family altar. Grainy black patina. Abrasions.

Carved for the most part on order placed by a family, the Dogon statues can also be the object of worship on the part of the whole community. However, their functions remain little known. Alongside Islam, Dogon religious rites are organized around four main cults: the Lébé, relating to fertility, under the spiritual authority of the Hogon, the Wagem, ancestor worship under the authority of the patriarch, the Binou invoking the spirit world and led by the priest of the Binou, and the society of masks concerning the funeral. Ref. : " Dogon " ed. Somogy, Quai Branly Museum.