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Door lock
Bamana
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Mali
Medium/Technique
Wood, iron
Dimensions
Overall: 37 x 6 x 6 cm (14 9/16 x 2 1/2 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2676
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsDecorative arts
This lock, once attached to the door of a house, granary, or poultry shelter, is an exquisite small carving with meanings derived from Bamana esoteric knowledge. It alludes to Komo, a power association that imparts its secret knowledge to its male members. A stylized rendering of the distinct Komo headdress (bamada) tops the figure's heads. The tapering body recalls the head of a python, symbolizing the creator god.
Provenance1954, sold by Jacqueline Nicaud of the Galerie Burgui, Paris, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)