작품 상세

Mali Traditionally, the Ogo toungo is associated with the Hogon, a revered spiritual leader or priest within the Dogon community. The stool is a symbol of authority and wisdom, and it is customarily used during important rituals and ceremonies. When the Hogon sits upon this stool, it signifies his role as a mediator between the people, the ancestral spirits, and the cosmos. This stool depicts the Dogon belief of the cosmos as two disks forming the sky and earth and connected by a tree. The four pairs of caryatid figures represent the founding ancestors of mankind: the four pairs of nommo twins in their descent from sky (their father) to earth (their mother), spiritual beings involved in the creation of man and culture. The decorative zigzag patterns suggest flowing water; of the path theses mythical beings took when they made their descent. Cf. A similar throne can be found in the Tishman collection published by Susan Vogel in "For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection", New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1981:18