Rare High Relief Sculptural Crocodile Door

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This 56.5-inch door (67.5 inches including its upper pivot finial) is a monumental single-slab piece from the Dogon or Gurunsi … Read more This 56.5-inch door (67.5 inches including its upper pivot finial) is a monumental single-slab piece from the Dogon or Gurunsi tradition of Mali and Burkina Faso, hand-hewn from one solid 2-inch-thick hardwood slab with an upper pivot finial and lower pivot pin rather than separate metal hinges. A massive, fully sculptural crocodile runs nearly the full length of the door in high relief, with angled limbs, a tapered snout, circular eyes, and raised vertebral ridges down its spine, crossed at the midsection by a functioning horizontal slide-bolt lock built directly into the figure. The outer border carries triple-nested carved triangular sawtooth bands retaining traces of red, white, and black pigment. This is a substantial, sculptural door with real architectural presence, well suited to an entryway, a stairwell landing, or as a standalone anchor piece where the crocodile figure and lock can be seen in full from a few feet back. The combination of a functioning integrated lock, a fully sculptural guardian figure, and surviving painted borders makes this one of the more complete examples in this collection.

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