A SUPERB DOGON, WAKARA STYLE, FEMALE ANCESTOR FIGURE, Mali

Jean Paul Delcourt, Abidjan and Paris
Daniel Hourdé, Paris
Hubert Goldet, Paris
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London
Rosemary and George Lois, New York, acquired from the above

Warren Roberts and Nancy Nooter, African Art in American Collections, Washington/London, 1989, p. 58, fig. 17

Good condition overall; vertical age cracks throughout including two cracks on the proper right side of the face, as seen on photographs; two segments of the openwork crest missing as seen on photographs; both ears chipped, front of feet and heels chipped, as seen on photographs; exceptionally fine medium to dark brown patina with residue.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Within the broad corpus of Dogon statuary, examples of the Wakara sub-style are exceedingly rare. For three other figures by the same hand cf. Wick and Denner (2009: VII, no. 9; also published in Leloup 1994: pl. 99), Musée Dapper (2008: 12), and Sotheby's, Paris, June 11, 2008, lot 86.

The Wakara style originated around Douentza, a village at the southern Bandiagara cliff. According to Hélène Leloup (1994: 100), the three vertical features below the eyes are typical scarification marks of the Kassambara, the first immigrants to the area. These marks, along with the three parallel lines which stretch from the temples to the chin (a feature considered to come from the eastern part of the cliff) and the Songhai origin of the jagged coiffure all testify to the old and complex history of the area's settlement. The two hands supporting the slightly prominent belly presumably allude to pregnancy - a hypothesis "which is probably [sic] since these sculptures were used at fertility rituals" (loc. cit.).