Stool 16th-17th century

0:00

carving, sculpture, wood

carving

stone

sculpture

figuration

sculpture

wood

Dimensions 17 3/16 × 13 5/16 × 13 in. (43.7 × 33.8 × 33 cm)

This stool, carved by a Dogon artist, presents a compelling interplay of form and meaning. Its structure is defined by a circular base and top, connected by carved figures that serve as both support and symbolic representation. The composition emphasizes symmetry and balance. The supporting figures, carved in high relief, show a combination of human and abstract forms which are typical of Dogon art. The texture of the wood, with its rough-hewn surfaces and visible grain, adds a tactile dimension to the piece, inviting a sensory experience. The use of repetitive motifs, such as the figures which may represent ancestral spirits, reinforces a sense of cultural continuity and order. Viewed through a structuralist lens, the stool operates as a sign, embodying cultural values and beliefs. The stool challenges fixed meanings, existing as both functional object and a representation of the society's worldview. The stool exemplifies how functional art can embody profound cultural narratives, inviting viewers to engage with its aesthetic and symbolic complexity.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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The Dogon from Mali have a long artistic tradition, and some of their wooden artworks have survived over the centuries. This ceremonial stool is over 400 years old. Never meant to be sat upon, it combines sculptural elegance with cultural meaning. The seat seems to be supported by delicately carved figures, four pairs in total. They represent the nommos, male-female pairs of twins who are the founding ancestors of humankind and teachers of culture. The nommos join the sky, the seat, with the earth, the base of the stool. This is how the Dogon historically viewed the universe, made of two disks connected by a tree. If you carefully look between the figures, you can see the stool’s central post, which represents the cosmic tree.