Dogon sculpture: human figures and the construction of form in Mali
The nineteenth-century Dogon female figure from Bombou Toro, documented in the Dalton Somaré archive, introduces the sculpture of Mali through a concrete question: how can the human body be organised into a composition combining several directions and gestures? Measuring 53.5 centimetres, the work has a geometric anatomy and a surface marked by the application of sacrificial materials. Its distinctive form invites the relationships among its parts to be examined before placing it within a general model.
The construction of the arms is particularly striking. Two fan-shaped hands rise, while other limbs emerge from the same elbows to hold the object before the abdomen. Simultaneous gestures are thus arranged around a single body. Repetition remains integrated into the composition: the vertical axis of the torso, the upward opening of the hands and the object before the belly establish a legible order. Flattened feet also contribute to the relationship with the base, turning anatomy into a structure of planes and volumes.
Comparison with the Metropolitan Museum’s Double plank figure with raised arms, accession 1979.541.1, reveals another use of doubling. In the museum work, two anthropomorphic images are superimposed on a flattened support; in the Bombou Toro sculpture, multiplication involves the limbs of one figure. This is a formal comparison, which does not assign the same function to both objects. It shows how the repertoire of the human figure can be developed through different strategies of superimposition, relief and bodily articulation.
Dogon sculpture includes substantial regional and compositional differences. Kate Ezra’s Art of the Dogon, published by the Metropolitan Museum in 1988, provides comparisons to study through subject, posture, proportions and documented contexts. For the Dalton Somaré work, Bombou Toro retains its importance as a specific stylistic attribution. Bringing together works with a shared gesture leaves their differences visible: a raised hand, elongated torso or encrusted surface must be considered within each sculptural construction.
Patina adds another level of study. On the archival figure, deposits belong to its history of use and alter the perception of the carving, emphasising some transitions and concealing others. Readers can follow these relationships in the work’s record and compare them with the museum catalogue’s illustrations. Analysis of the human figure also complements the existing study of the dog in Dogon art: bodily construction is central here, while zoomorphic sculpture opens onto a distinct repertoire of forms and narratives.
References and comparative works
