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Male Figure
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Figures like this would have been used in rituals by the ancestors of the present-day inhabitants of the Inland Niger Delta. Representing the gods and kings or queens associated with the region’s former residents, the figures received prayers and offerings in exchange for their support. The seated position of this male has been interpreted as a harmful pose intended to bring death to an individual.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMale Figure, possibly 1300s–1600s. Africa, West Africa, Mali, probably Djenné-Djenno, Inland Niger Delta culture-style maker. Terracotta; overall: 19.7 cm (7 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1985.199
