Male Figure (pomdo or nomoli)

Artist Kissi or Mende artist

Datebefore 1550

MediumSoapstone (also known as steatite)

Dimensions6 1/4 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 in. (15.9 x 5.7 x 7.0 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward H. Merrin

Object numberG.71.45.2

On View

Not on view

Label TextFigures of this style have been discovered in agricultural fields, forests, or along riverbeds and are generally considered the oldest art from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Because of environmental wear, the features of the works are often difficult to discern. Yet both figures feature heads that are large in proportion to their bodies and emphasized with elaborate hairstyles.

While much is unknown about their original use, these ancient carvings find new uses in contemporary spiritual practices, and an individual who discovers one may place it in a local shrine for protection or to honor ancestors.
[A. Maples, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]ProvenanceDuke Marks; Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc.; given to NCMA 1971.Published References"Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 12, nos. 1 and 2 (December 1973), listed 71.

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