Description:

**Originally Listed At $1200**

Southern Africa, Madagascar, Mahafaly peoples, ca. mid-20th century CE. A tall, nicely preserved example of a tomb marker, hand-carved from a single piece of hard wood, with an openwork structure of geometric forms, mainly crescent shapes that are meant to mirror the lunar cycle - symbolic of regeneration and continuity, two of the central themes of "aloalo," the Mahafaly term for royal burial carvings. The carvings are presented as a headdress atop the head of a stylized female figure - wearing a short skirt with one arm crossed atop her abdomen - standing atop an integral rectangular platform and a lengthy tang. There are no cemeteries in this region; instead, the living choose a place to have their tomb erected in life, and construction begins on said tomb once the individual is deceased. Size: 7.5" W x 70" H (19 cm x 177.8 cm).

For another example of an aloalo tomb post, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1998.317.1: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/317882

Provenance: Estate of R. Pearson, Denver, Colorado, USA; Mr. Pearson collected from the third quarter of the 20th century until he passed away.

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#144676

  • Condition: Losses to top of headdress, figure, and tang, with multiple stable hairline fissures, and softening to some finer details. Light earthen deposits throughout.

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March 26, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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