GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Tsogo used half figures like this one as reliquary guardians and ritual objects. In the former context, they were placed in the reliquary; in the latter, they were placed on the floor of a temple during "dramatic nocturnal rituals."
Rendered in a seminaturalistic style, the upper half of this figure has an oval head, pronounced eyebrows, a long wedge-shaped nose, and open mouth. Its hands, typically placed at either side of the body, are above the navel. Distinguishing features include prominent ears, traces of white pigment (probably kaolin) on the body, and metal-covered eyes. White pigment signifies the spirit world, peace, and healing. Some half figures display a vertical strip of metal on the forehead as a means to empower the figure to repel evil spirits; the reflective metal in the eyes may be the artist's innovation or it may be a convention that allows this vigilant sentry to see beyond this world.
Adapted from
- Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.
- Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 204-205.
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PROVENANCE
By at least 1966: Schindler Collection, New York [1]
1974: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation [2]
[1] See the catalog Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler. New York: Museum of Primitive Art, 1966.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
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General Description
The Tsogo used half figures like this one as reliquary guardians and ritual objects. In the former context, they were placed in the reliquary; in the latter, they were placed on the floor of a temple during "dramatic nocturnal rituals."
Rendered in a seminaturalistic style, the upper half of this figure has an oval head, pronounced eyebrows, a long wedge-shaped nose, and open mouth. Its hands, typically placed at either side of the body, are above the navel. Distinguishing features include prominent ears, traces of white pigment (probably kaolin) on the body, and metal-covered eyes. White pigment signifies the spirit world, peace, and healing. Some half figures display a vertical strip of metal on the forehead as a means to empower the figure to repel evil spirits; the reflective metal in the eyes may be the artist's innovation or it may be a convention that allows this vigilant sentry to see beyond this world.
Adapted from
- Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.
- Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 204-205.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
By at least 1966: Schindler Collection, New York [1]
1974: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation [2]
[1] See the catalog Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler. New York: Museum of Primitive Art, 1966.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
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