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Female Vessel Bearer

1260–1380
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Sculptures attributed to a workshop identified with the village of Tintam are defined by powerful, rounded contours and a vivid red hue associated with ritual transformation. We can only speculate about the concerns underlying certain recurring Dogon representations. Several freestanding figures produced by the Tintam atelier feature a raised-arm gesture in which one hand clenches in a fist with thumb raised and the opposite hand opens flat. Each figure wears a labret, or lip ornament, tabbed necklace, and a panel of fabric that extends between the legs. The gender of the two figures with raised arms is ambiguous, given the emphasis on a beard and triangular pendant breasts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Female Vessel Bearer
  • Artist: Master of Tintam
  • Date: 1260–1380
  • Geography: Mali, Tintam village
  • Culture: Dogon peoples
  • Medium: Wood, red pigment
  • Dimensions: H. (approx.) 29 1/2 × W. 1 × D. 9 in. (74.9 × 2.5 × 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Museum Rietberg, Zurich
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing