TERA Gallery - African Art and Antiquities "Altering The Way You View The World Of Art" |
Type of Object:
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Reference:
- Iron Lamp
- These functional iron lamp, with bowls to burn oil express
status, prestige and power. They would bring honor to the
ancestors, the current leadership and the owner of the
sculpture. The original owner of this lamp would have been
very powerful indeed, with five bowls, this sculpture was well
beyond the average lamp of the period.
- Oil lamps are used to illuminate night ceremonies
performed by secular and religious associations. Village
homes and shrines are also lit from staffs with one or more
oil cups.
In Bamana ontology, the cup is the mouth, the wick is the
tongue, and the light is intelligence as it emanates from the
head. Oil prepared from the karite nut is burned with a wick
of twisted cotton fiber. The small spoon hanging from the oil
cup lifts the wick to adjust the light level.
An exquisite piece.
Ethnic Group:
- Dogon Society
- Mali
Material:
- Iron
Dimensions:
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