Figurine masculine

Male Figure

The position of the arms and legs of this statuette’s hieratic pose are in the iconographic tradition of the Mali Empire, which the Arab chronicler Al Bakri mentioned in the eleventh century and which endured in West Africa until the late sixteenth century.

It was cast in a cuprous alloy. [1] The man is sitting with his legs to his right and left ankle under his right thigh. He is leaning slightly to his left, a position which visually counterbalances the leg protruding to his right. [2]

The extremely pure, oval face has all the stylistic hallmarks of the classical sculpture of the Inland Niger Delta region. The forehead is smooth and the cylindrical hairstyle on top of the head is similar to those on wooden sculptures in the Djennenke or Soninke style. The bulging, almond-shaped eyes are surrounded by eyelids with scarifications at right angles to the axis of the eye. The figure has a straight nose, protruding lips. The creases in his cheeks denote his age and the thin, meticulously cut beard emphasises the perfect curve of his chin. He is holding his shoulders, with his arms crossed over his naked torso. The triple bracelets on both wrists are undecorated and there are scarifications on the backs of his hands, at right angles to the fingers. The slight paunch is characteristic of portrayals of African notables. He has a protruding, cylindrical belly button. The trapezoidal loincloth has a cloth border on three sides. His thighs have light scarifications pointing inwards. The heels are incised to depict multiple ankle bracelets.

This masterpiece of Malian sculpture also shows the mastery of the lost-wax casting process attained by metal casters at that time. [3]

[1] Very probably copper and zinc, like other objects of the same type, which have been analysed. The patina is smooth, green and darker on the back of the figure, on which there is a suspending ring.

[2] This position in reality would be unsteady.

[3] It thus belongs so to the so-called classical "Jenne" style of the Empire of Mali civilisation, around the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries.