Wazimba Warrior Figure

Creator

Preview

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

10 x 3 x 1 3/4 in. (25.4 x 7.62 x 4.45 cm)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.14

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris ('46) from Von Barghahn Gallery in Washington D.C. on July 15, 1974.

Condition

The piece has suffered considerable damage: both feet are missing, as are the left hand and most of the right arm

References

Brad Hostetler, with Ani Parnagian, "From Private to Public: The Collection of David P. Harris," in Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, eds. Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5–25. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

Carved from a heavy dark wood, the figure represents a young warrior in a garment worn in diaper-fashion and tucked into a belt. It is decorated with small wedge-shaped incisions. On the figure's head, which is turned to his left, is a tall triangular headdress with three tassels at the corners. The headdress is decorated with wedges like those on the lower garment, though slightly smaller, and similar incisions represent the warrior's hair at the back of his head. The figure has an unusually long neck, his eyes are narrow, his ears shaped like large, thin Cs. The piece remains quite striking for its size and condition.