Door with crocodiles and pythons

19th–mid-20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341

Massive carved doors were sometimes placed at the main entrance of traditional Bamana or Bozo homes. Housing several generations and branches of a family, such domestic structures were built of sun-dried mud bricks and consist of a series of rooms arranged around one or more courtyards and connected by a surrounding wall. Doors at the main entrance sometimes depict animals that are sought by hunters or that figure in creation myths and migration legends. This door depicts two crocodiles, whose rough scaly hide is represented by a series of raised bumps, and two snakes, whose diamond-patterned skin is indicated by incised lines.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Door with crocodiles and pythons
Artist: Bamana or Bozo blacksmith
Date: 19th–mid-20th century
Geography: Mali
Culture: Bamana or Bozo peoples
Medium: Wood, metal
Dimensions: H. 84 × W. 41 × D. 7 3/4 in. (213.4 × 104.1 × 19.7 cm)
Classification: Wood-Architectural
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Object Number: 1979.206.155
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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