Dogon Curved Ladder

This ladder follows the Dogon tradition of single-trunk construction but takes a naturally curved trunk, which the carver worked with rather than against. Among the Dogon of the Bandiagara escarpment, ladders connect the granary and the home, and the lived rhythm of climbing them shaped both the wear and the feel of each surface. At eight feet tall, the curve of the trunk gives the form a pull of its own. It was acquired from a private New York collection in 2016.