Figure (Tadep)

Label TextDespite his small stature, this figure is a watchful guardian. Wide-eyed, his legs are crouched and arms cocked, ready to fend off any harmful agents. He was created to stand outside a sacred storehouse filled with ritual materials.

Object number81.17.712

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, African Art in Motion: Icon and Act, Jan. 20 - Mar. 17, 1974 (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, May 5 - Sept. 22, 1974). Text by Robert Farris Thompson. No cat. no., pp. 56-57, reproduced pl. 66 (as standing male figure).

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions2 9/16 x 1 1/16 x 1 1/16 in. (6.5 x 2.75 x 2.75 cm)

MediumWood, pigment, feathers, metal