Untitled

Object/Artifact

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

Untitled

Entry/Object ID

2001.50

Description

Wooden door with carved figures. There is a clasp on one side of the door.

Context

The Dogon tribe in Mali is a culture that is known for mask dances, sculpture and architecture. This particular work of art is a granary door that is in the household of most families. The door was used to protect the family’s grain storage, which is known as one of their ancestral traditions. On the granary door there are intricate carvings of people who served as invocations of spirits and deities. These abstract forms on the door are there to ensure the safety of the grains as it is protected by the spirits and the ancestors.

Acquisition

Accession

2001.50-175

Source or Donor

May Weber

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of the May Weber Foundation

Made/Created

Artist

Unknown artist

Notes

Creation Date: no date

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Africa

Culture/Tribe

Dogon

Notes

Dogon Mali, Africa

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

Dogon (culture or style), Gur, Western Sudanese, West African (general), African (general, continental cultures), ancestors (family relationships), people (agents), protection (maintenance function), maintenance, functions (activities), doors, doorway components, openings (architectural elements), architectural elements, components (objects parts)

Hierarchy Name

Styles and Periods (hierarchy name), People (hierarchy name), Functions (hierarchy name), Components (hierarchy name)

Facet

Styles and Periods Facet, Agents Facet, Activities Facet, Objects Facet

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Whole

Width

63.5 cm

Depth

6.985 cm

Length

92.71 cm

Material

Wood

Exhibitions

Human Bodies in the Spirit World: African Sculpture from the Weber Collection

The Body and Art: African Sculpture from the Permanent Collection