Archer figure
date: label: Date
content: 13th-15th century
name: label: Maker
content: Inland Niger Delta Style
notes: label: Label Text
content: Since the 1940s, low-fired ceramic figures and fragments such as this have been unearthed at various sites throughout the Inland Niger Delta region, an area that once had highly developed urban centers. These works are among the earliest known surviving art forms in sub-Saharan Africa. The makers were from the various peoples in the region, but it is not known whether they were men or women. Using a mixture of coarse clay and added grog (crushed pot sherds), the potters modeled the figures by hand. Some were modeled in separate parts and fitted together. Most surviving examples are solid, but a few are hollow and built with clay coils. The surfaces are polished and covered with a red slip (clay wash). These massive works are among the largest known terracotta figures created by sub-Saharan African potters. By the 15th or 16th century, environmental and political events caused the urban centers of the Delta region to be abandoned, and the art tradition did not survive.
label: Label Text
content: Research, including local oral traditions, indicates that all ethnic groups in the Delta region used these figures. The earliest known written reference to them occurs in a letter of 1447. In it, a visiting Italian merchant remarked that the figures were kept in sanctuaries and venerated as representing the deified ancestors of famous founding rulers of the region. The elaborate dress of the figures suggests ceremonial military attire, and they may represent warriors who were once allies of the Malian emperor Sundjata Keita (c. 1210-c. 1260). Based on stylistic comparisons with similar figures, these works can be tentatively dated to between the 13th and 15th centuries.
label: Description
content: Standing male figure of an archer with a quiver slung diagonally across his right shoulder in back. The figure's lower right arm and hand are missing as is his right foot.
label: Provenance
content: Karl Heinz Krieg, Neunkirchen, Germany, 1972-1973 (fragments)
label: Provenance
content: Emile M. Deletaille, Brussels, 1972-1973 to 1986
label: Exhibition History
content: Heroes: Principles of African Greatness, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 16, 2019–October 3, 2021
label: Exhibition History
content: General exhibition, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., installed September 20, 2016–August, 27, 2019
label: Exhibition History
content: Pavilion, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 2, 2002
label: Exhibition History
content: DJENNE: Une Ville Millenaire au Mali, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden, December 1, 1994-August 27, 1995
label: Published References
content: Cole, Herbert M. 1989. Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 94, no. 105.
label: Published References
content: De Grunne, Bernard. 1980. Terres cuites anciennes de l'ouest africain/ Ancient Terracottas from West Africa. Louvain-la-Neuve: Universite Catholique de Louvain, p. 84, no. I.14.
label: Published References
content: Freyer, Bryna M. and Christine Mullen Kreamer. 2010. "The Collection of the National Museum of African Art Smithsonian Institution." Sculpture Review LIX (1), p. 20.
label: Published References
content: Kleiner, Fred S. 2008. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History (13th edition). Cengage Learning.
label: Published References
content: Kleiner, Fred S. 2009. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History (13th edition). Cengage Learning, p. 399, no. 15-7.
label: Published References
content: Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2003. " A Tribute to Roy Sieber: Part 2." African Arts 36 (2), pp. 16, 19, no. 19.
label: Published References
content: National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 114, no. 1A.
label: Published References
content: National Museum of African Art. 2007. 2007-2008 School Calendar: Featuring the new Let's Read about Africa and the Sounds of African Music programs. Museum calendar. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, February 2008.
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: Inland Niger Delta region, Mali
topic: label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum purchase
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 86-12-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Figure
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ceramic
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 61.9 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm (24 3/8 x 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.)