Head

The terracotta sculptures from Djenne-Jeno (also called old Djenne or Djenne, Djenne-Djenno, Jenne-Jeno, or old Jeno), an ancient city located in the inner Niger Delta in modern Mali, primarily depict stylised human figures. The age and purpose of the sculptures are still under study. Based on thermoluminescence studies, it is presumed that they were made over several centuries up to the 16th century. The renewed interest of Europeans in Malian terracotta was due to the abundance of archaeological finds. Official excavations were followed by illegal explorations organised by the local population. Many ancient settlements were looted, with the finds mainly destined for trade. Traders of African sculpture exploit the difficulties related to the dating of the Djenne-Jeno statuettes. Indeed, in recent decades they have become a desirable West African handicraft product.The statue on display was decorated with vertical, horizontal and diagonal incisions that probably form a pattern to mark the headgear at the forehead and top of the head. The object was subjected to age measurement using the thermoluminescence method, conducted in the Luminescence Dating Laboratory of the Institute of Physics at the Silesian University of Technology. Based on the measurement, it was determined that it is a contemporary product, made around 1975.

Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron