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Head of a Hobbyhorse (korèdugaso)
late 1800s–early 1900s
- Medium
- Wood and iron
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- Overall: 14 x 13.8 x 40.8 cm (5 1/2 x 5 7/16 x 16 1/16 in.)
- Culture
- Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana blacksmith
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, African Art
- Credit line
- James Albert Ford Memorial Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Pertaining to the male initiation society called Korè, this sculpture from the Koulikoro region represents the head of an aardvark and is part of a wooden hobbyhorse that is mounted by a ritual buffoon. The Korè initiates are divided into different classes, each having a designated mask. The ritual buffoons appear in pantomimes on different public occasions and poke fun at village authorities and other high-ranking individuals.
