A seated terracotta couple of great plastic intensity, perfectly illustrating the majesty and spirituality of the ancient creations of the Djenné civilization. In a hieratic posture marked by contemplation, the two figures seem united in a single ritual gesture. The figure at the front holds a circular object in his hands - perhaps a container or symbolic ring - while his companion, slightly behind, seems to accompany him in the offering. The elongated heads, powerfully modeled mouths and linear scarification marks on the arms and torso reflect the stylized rigor and expressive force typical of the Djenné corpus. This rare composition evokes both the founding duality and complementarity of masculine and feminine principles, central themes in ancestral representations of the inland Niger delta. Djenné civilization, Mali Dating: 1450-1600 A.D. ASA thermoluminescence test dated August 19, 1992 will be given to the purchaser. Smooth ochre-orange terracotta, old dark firing marks, many visible old chips, visible restoration. Height: 26.5 cm Provenance : - Hélène Leloup Collection, Paris. - Transmitted by descent.