Lot n° 240
Estimation :
9000 - 10000
EUR
LARGE SCALE OF DOGON FAMILY HOUSE. Dogon. Cliff of Bandiagar - Lot 240
LARGE SCALE OF DOGON FAMILY HOUSE. Dogon. Cliff of Bandiagara. Mali. Africa. Presumed date : XVIIIth-XIXth century. Both an everyday and totemic object, this ladder is a witness to the organization of the Dogon symbolic and spiritual world. The particularity of large ladders like this one is that they are used in large family houses to access the second floor roof terrace. The two-story family houses are reserved for the most important people in the village. They have a privileged and precise place in the symbolic organization of the Dogon village (cf. Marcel Griaule, God of Water). The second floor is the symbol of the Earth, the birthplace of all things and the living space of the occupants. The second floor is the celestial and invisible world that gives access to the air necessary for life. The ladder is the essential witness of the organization of the world in the house. It has eight main steps. 8 is the sacred Dogon number (the eight mythical and twin ancestors who are called Nommo, or the eight primordial seeds). Each step refers to the genealogy and system of the world as imagined by the Dogon people from the beginning. The intersection of the "y" is the 9th element, the unity and union of everything. Then come the last two notches, the two primordial ancestors, the first man and the first woman. They also refer to the owners linking the family to the whole Dogon cosmogony. The ladder represents by its zigzag pattern the path of water coming from the sky to bring fertility to the soil and to living beings. Although there are many useful ladders for the Dogon, the stairs of the large family houses are rare. The beautiful patina of the steps of this ladder testifies to its use over several generations.
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