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Today Open today 11–8

Fragment of a Kneeling Figure

A work made of terracotta.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

11th-14th century

Artist:

Jenné-Jeno
Inland Niger Delta region, Mali
Northern Africa and the Sahel

About this artwork

Little is known about the meaning and function of the terracotta figures discovered in various sites around the abandoned city of Jenné-Jeno in modern Mali. Archaeological excavations revealed that figures like this partial example were set into the walls and foundations of buildings, suggesting they served a religious purpose. The loincloth and stack of bracelets on this figure indicated high social rank. The snakes wrapping around his torso are common in the iconography of the Inland Niger Delta and undoubtedly had symbolic significance.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Niger Delta

Title

Fragment of a Kneeling Figure

Place

Mali (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1001–1400

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

47.6 × 23.5 × 30.5 cm (18 3/4 × 9 1/4 × 12 in.)

Credit Line

Maurice D. Galleher, Ada Turnbull Hertle, and Laura R. Magnuson funds

Reference Number

1983.917

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/100938/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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