Antique African Brutalist Bamana Horned Figural Carved Door Lock (Mali)

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Antique African Bamana Horned Figural Carved Wooden Door Lock (Mali). Two part hand carved wooden door lock. Anthropomorphic horned figure … Read more Antique African Bamana Horned Figural Carved Wooden Door Lock (Mali). Two part hand carved wooden door lock. Anthropomorphic horned figure sits at the top. Patinated throughout. The horizontal lock has been attached to the vertical body. The custom metal stand hooks in through the back at a hole in the top and bottom to keep it secure. In used condition with wear consistent with age.

Size: 23.25”H x 18.5”W x 4”D

The form of and motifs employed in Bamana door locks usually are invested with symbolic messages despite their formal simplicity. These messages, both in abstract and representational imagery, can be deeply personal. The stylized figure is usually a representation of an ancestor whose presence is required to ensure protection from bad spirits or sorcery. An addition of animal representation such as the butterfly enhances the power of the ancestors and therefore provides additional protection. The presence on the door of a lock representing a woman was also believed to prevent the men from being unfaithful to their wives.

Such locks were given as gifts to young brides and symbolised sexual intercourse: a vertical female figure with a moving ‘male’ horizontal bolt. They were passed from generation to generation. The locks tended to be given names according to the message, ancestor or story to which their form and motifs referred. See less