Très belle statue, Dogon, Mali

Guy Loudmer, Paris, 2 juillet 1987, n° 314
Philippe Guimiot, Bruxelles
Collection privée

Wear consistent with age and use within the culture: seat eroded, as visible in the catalogue illustration; area of loss to the proper right hand side of the torso; fine old and encrusted patina, glossy in areas.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Au centre de la Falaise sud de Bandiagara naîtra au XVII^e siècle, à partir d'influences Tellem et Djennenké, un style d'une individualité remarquable, identifié par Hélène Leloup comme "Bombou-Toro". "Presque schématiques, [les statues, dont certaines comptent parmi les plus connues et les plus appréciées de l'art Dogon] paraissent refléter la vision quotidienne des à-pics de la falaise, le côté abrupt de l'environnement qui transmet au sculpteur ses caractéristiques rigoureuses" (Leloup, 1994 : 165-166).

Vivant repliée sur elle-même, la communauté de migrants Dogon-Mandé peuplant la région de Sanga "va produire de grands initiés qui vont développer une vie religieuse intense, un mythe, et ipso facto la sculpture qui les matérialise" (idem). Parmi ces œuvres s'imposent les statues hermaphrodites de personnages assis, exprimant le dualisme fondamental de la pensée Dogon.

Les seins prononcés associés au carquois symboliseraient l'idéal humain - qualité de fécondité pour la femme et de guerrier pour l'homme (idem, n° 74). Assis en position cheffale, au-dessus du tabouret sculpté à l'image du monde - deux disques (terre et ciel), portés par des cariatides -, les jambes s'étirent, liant dans un même mouvement le guerrier et le siège sacré. Procédant d'une dynamique remarquable, les lignes strictes accentuent dans les articulations les points de rupture, tandis que les courts plans inclinés font glisser le regard en profondeur. Selon les caractéristiques du style, le visage est divisé en deux par le long nez en flèche, dont la nervure se prolonge dans le mouvement de la crête sagittale, tandis que les traits esquissés sont atténués par la patine profonde.

cf. Leloup (1994 : n° 79) pour une statue très comparable, datée du XVIII^e siècle.

Very fine Dogon figure, Mali

In the centre of the southern Bandiagara cliff a style of remarkable individuality emerged in the seventeenth century out of Tellem and Djennenke influences. This style has been identified by Hélène Leloup as "Bombou Toro". "Almost schematic, statues in this style, (which include some of the best known and most loved in Dogon art) appear to reflect a daily vision of life: the peaks of the cliffs, the steep sides of the environment, all of which have been transmitted into the stringent specifications of the sculptor" (Hélène Leloup, 1994 : 165-166).

Living turned in upon itself, the community of Dogon-Mande migrants who peopled the Sanga region " produced great visionaries who were to develop an intense religious life, a myth, and ipso facto the sculpure which this materialized into". Included among these works are the imposing statues of seated hermaphrodite figures which express the fundemental dualism of Dogon thought.

The pronounced breasts and the quiver serve to symbolize the human ideal, representing both the fertility of the female and the warrior ideal of the man (ibid, no 74). The stool is sculpted as an image of the world, with two discs representing the earth and the sky held by two female figures. The warrior sits on the stool in a chief-like position, his figure and the sacred seat bound together in the same sculptural movement. The strict lines of this remarkably dynamic sculpture accentuate the breaking points of the form, whilst the inclined planes deepen the viewer's perspective. The face is characteristically divided in two by the long raised nose, the elevated line extending into the sagittal crest. The features are delineated and softened by the deep patina.

cf. Leloup (1994: n^o 79) for a very similar statue, dating from the 18^th century.