1978.41.McD Standing male figure

Bwa divination objects commonly include figurative hooks and long staffs but rarely free-standing figures with the palms turned inward like this one. Such figures were believed to have supernatural powers that could be manipulated by a diviner to ascertain the cause and cure of his client's misfortune.

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.

n.d.: Stillman Collection, New York

1978: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, purchased from above [1] [2]

Notes: The main source for this provenance is the object card in the Collections Records object file.

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[2] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museums. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fun remains with the Fund.

Apply to objects where number equals 1978.41.McD