Description

Pair of hand-shaped clay astral bed posts from the Inland Niger Delta region of Mali.
These unusual objects are believed to be funerary artifacts associated with miniature beds placed in burials.

Known in French as pieds de lit astrales (astral bed posts), they would originally have formed part of a miniature bed consisting of four feet and two transverse posts. Examples have been documented in archaeological and museum collections from the Inland Niger Delta.

Comparable examples have been attributed to approximately the 12th century CE, although precise dating remains uncertain.
Both pieces retain attractive surface encrustations and show no significant chips or cracks.
Collected in Mali.

Dimensions

Height: 10 cm
Diameter: 6 cm

References

Terres Cuites Africaines, Collections du Musée Barbier-Mueller, pp. 52–53, article by Kristina Van Dyke.