# Male Figure

- Date: possibly 1300s–1600s
- Medium: Terracotta
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Overall: 19.7 cm (7 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Africa, West Africa, Mali, probably Djenné-Djenno, Inland Niger Delta culture-style maker
- Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1985.199)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1985.199/1985.199_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Figures like this would have been used in rituals by the ancestors of the present-day inhabitants of the Inland Niger Delta. Representing the gods and kings or queens associated with the region’s former residents, the figures received prayers and offerings in exchange for their support. The seated position of this male has been interpreted as a harmful pose intended to bring death to an individual.