Soninke Figure

As Bernard de Grunne notes in his 2024 study « Medieval Soninke statuary from Mali », in the western part of the Bandiagara plateau, an exceptional moment in the history of African art took place around the year 1000, with the sudden appearance of an extraordinary group of wooden statues whose distinct style preceded the efflorescence of Dogon art by over five hundred years.

While Hélène Leloup (« Statuaire Dogon », 1994) refers to the creators of these statues as "Djennenke," Bernard de Grunne calls them "Soninke."
Leloup notes: "Djennenke wooden sculptures are slightly taller than the average Dogon sculpture and they are rendered with greater virtuosity and realism. They resemble the terra-cotta sculptures from the Pondori region [...]. Their stylistic similarities are certain for they share common morphological features: elongated body, thin nose, protuberant eyes.

The wood from which this figure was carved was analyzed by CIRAM using radiocarbon dating (scientific report no. 0525-OA-823J), establishing a date range between AD 1308 and 1422.