Lot of 2 Matching African Dogon Granary Wooden Doors

West Africa, Mali, Dogon, ca. early 20th century CE. A pair of meticulously carved wooden granary doors, each one made from several panels (one from 2 and the other from 3 panels) that are held together by iron fasteners - their front faces covered with an elaborate iconographic program comprised of abstract anthropomorphic figures, animals (two turtles on one door and an antelope on the other), and stylized geometric motifs (zigzags, X's, cross-hatches, and circular bosses) - all in low to high relief. These doors would have covered an opening leading to a family's grain storage building. A simple sliding door lock mechanism was used to keep them shut. The iconography on such doors traditionally represents ancestors, Kanaga masks, primordial entities, sun lizards, and genre scenes that are all intended to protect the entrance. Size: 16" W x 27.75" H (40.6 cm x 70.5 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#142443
Condition Report: Expected age wear with scuffs and old chips to surfaces and peripheries that have smoothed over with time. One door was carved from 2 panels and the other was carved from 3. Nice lustrous patina.