Figure of a Seated Musician (Koro Player)
Dogon
1 of 13
Object Label
This figure is portrayed playing a koro, or four-stringed "harp-lute." The instrument is made, owned, and played only by healers, diviners, and priests of Yapilu, a cult concerned with rites for women who have died in pregnancy or childbirth. The neck to which the strings would be attached has been broken on this figure, but the type of instrument being played is still evident.
Dogon mythology, extraordinarily rich and complex, is frequently represented in sculpture. According to myth, the harp-lute was created when the seventh of the original beings (Nommo) descended to earth. The Seventh Nommo brought speech, music, and weaving to earth, and these all became organizing principles for the world. Speech and music are also associated with fertility and specifically with the germination of crops. Germination, in turn, is linked to resurrection and rebirth, since the Nommo was sacrificed to the sky and then reborn on earth.
The harp-lute is therefore connected to fertility, funerary, and purification rites. The musician's role is to create personal and societal order through the germinating action of his music; when the harpist plays, his instrument serves to organize the world and re-establish societal harmony.
Dogon mythology, extraordinarily rich and complex, is frequently represented in sculpture. According to myth, the harp-lute was created when the seventh of the original beings (Nommo) descended to earth. The Seventh Nommo brought speech, music, and weaving to earth, and these all became organizing principles for the world. Speech and music are also associated with fertility and specifically with the germination of crops. Germination, in turn, is linked to resurrection and rebirth, since the Nommo was sacrificed to the sky and then reborn on earth.
The harp-lute is therefore connected to fertility, funerary, and purification rites. The musician's role is to create personal and societal order through the germinating action of his music; when the harpist plays, his instrument serves to organize the world and re-establish societal harmony.
Caption
Dogon. Figure of a Seated Musician (Koro Player), late 18th century. Wood, iron, 22 x 7 x 4 1/4 in. (55.8 x 17.7 x 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 61.2. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Figure of a Seated Musician (Koro Player)
Date
late 18th century
Geography
Place made: Central northern Bandiagara escarpment, Mopti Region, Mali
Medium
Wood, iron
Classification
Dimensions
22 x 7 x 4 1/4 in. (55.8 x 17.7 x 10.8 cm)
Credit Line
Frank L. Babbott Fund
Accession Number
61.2
Frequent Art Questions
Who are the Dogon?
The Dogon are a West African people living primarily in Mali. The Dogon are perhaps best known for their complex cosmology and retaining their traditional spirituality in a region that was largely converted to Islam.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at