Doorlock
20th century
Bamana people of Mali put locks shaped like people on granary doors as a reminder that when you steal, you steal from someone nearby. Forever vigilant, the human form is abstracted to suit this function as the central pillar contains a shaft for the middle bolt to slide through. The "bloom" on the surface comes from wax, oils-even preservatives like arsenic-that were used to treat the wood in the past.
Wood with patination
16 x 16 x 2 1/4 in. (40.64 x 40.64 x 5.72 cm)
Gift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam
97.64
