Half figure of a man

The Tsogo used half figures similar to this one as reliquary guardians and as ritual objects. In the former context, they were placed in the reliquary; in the latter, they were placed on the floor of a temple during "dramatic nocturnal rituals."(26) The Dallas half figure has an oval head, pronounced eyebrows, a long wedge-shaped nose, and open mouth. Its hands, typically placed at either side of the body, are above the navel. Distinguishing features include prominent ears, traces of white pigment (probably kaolin) on the body, and metal-covered eyes. Some half figures display a vertical strip of metal on the forehead as a means to empower the figure to repel evil spirits. Placing reflective metal in the eyes of the figure rather than on its forehead may be the artist's innovation or it may be a convention that allows the vigilant sentry to see beyond this world.(27)

The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art, cat. 71. pp. 204-205.

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NOTES:

26. Siroto, Leon. East of the Atlantic, West of the Congo: Art from Equatorial Africa from the Dwight and Blossom Strong Collection. Edited by Kathleen Berrin. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1995. p. 41.

Perrois, Louis. Arts du Gabon: Les Arts plastiques du bassin de l’Ogooué. Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, France: Arts d’Afrique noir, 1979. pp. 214-236.

27. Compare with examples in Siroto, 1995. p. 41, cat. no. 34.

Robbins, Warren M., and Nancy Ingram Nooter. African Art in American Collections: Survey, 1989. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. p. 350, cat. no. 907.