Additional titles
Man of High Status

Dated
Date of origin: unknown to KOLK 17

Geographical reference
Place of origin: Mali

Material / technique
Wood, carved, polychromed
Textile, sewn, batiked
Metal, compression molded
rubber, knotted

Dimensions
Object dimension: 77 x 49 x 10,5 cm
Weight: 1 kg
Puppet volume: 82 x 42 x 21 cm

Creditline
KOLK 17 Figurentheater & Museum, Lübeck

Inventory no.
TF008891

Keywords
Maani | Anthropomorphic puppet Sogo bò | Coming forth of the masks and puppets Kalakasogo | Booth puppet West Africa Africa Human being

Object description
This puppet of a man is probably a maaniw-type puppet, which are performed in the sogo bò theatre on an animal puppet stage (kalaka kònò sogo). It is a ‘booth puppet’ / kalakasogow.
The beard and hat identify the puppet as a high-ranking man. The puppet is stylised and carved in a simple style. The details are carved out of the wood and painted in black colour. The man forms a pair with TF008891, which can be identified by the same design in fabric, colour and style. (21.10.2024, EF)

Object history
Research in the archives and depot of KOLK 17 has so far yielded no results regarding the provenance or purchase of the object. It does not appear explicitly either in the inventory book or in a purchase contract or similar. There may be further documentation on the purchase of the figure from the collector Fritz Fey Jr. in private ownership. This cannot be conclusively confirmed at the present time.
The object appears to never have been exhibited by KOLK 17 or one of its predecessor institutions.
(21.10.2024, EF)