a’Tshol Head (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
The Baga, who inhabit long stretches of Guinea’s Atlantic coastline, are noted for their dramatic sculptural works. The most ancient and important type of their ritual objects are angular heads, know as a’Tshol. Imbued with the power to guard the village, a-Tshol is a Baga word meaning medicine, signifying that the statues also viewed to have mystical healing powers.
The style of Baga a’Tshol heads relates very closely to that of the masks and figures of the much farther inland Bamana and Marka cultures of Mali. This stylistic relationship make a’Tshol heads key works in confirming the message of oral histories that describe the separation and dispersal of branches of the Mandinka peoples when Islam pressed south into the interior highlands of Guinea.
The style of Baga a’Tshol heads relates very closely to that of the masks and figures of the much farther inland Bamana and Marka cultures of Mali. This stylistic relationship make a’Tshol heads key works in confirming the message of oral histories that describe the separation and dispersal of branches of the Mandinka peoples when Islam pressed south into the interior highlands of Guinea.
From the Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
“Grass Roots: African Origins of American Art.” New York: Museum for African Art. Charleston, SC: Gibbes Museum of Art. Los Angeles, CA: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Columbia, SC: McKissick Museum.
The New VMFA: Collecting for the Future. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 15 October2003 - 4 January 2004.
The New VMFA: Collecting for the Future. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 15 October2003 - 4 January 2004.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.