Description:

**Originally Listed At $200**

West Africa, Mali, Dogon, ca. first half of the 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden stick with five small notches carved onto the front side. The tip of the stick is shaved to a point, and a small arm with another pair of notches projects outwards from the upper half. Votive ladders like this were leaned against the family altar, wherein the spirit of their ancestral head would lie, so that the chiefs of the family as well as the spirits of their deceased ancestors could climb the carved notches in order to reach the realm of the afterlife. Custom metal display stand included. Size: 3.375" W x 10.6" H (8.6 cm x 26.9 cm); 10.875" H (27.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Helms collection, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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#137030

  • Condition: Ladder is glued to stand and cannot be removed. Small repairs to base. Surface wear commensurate with age, and small chips to base, projecting arm, and tip. Nice earthen deposits throughout.

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April 30, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000