Dogon Wood Seated Figure, Based

Much of the surface has gone, and what is left will not be hurried.

This seated figure is Dogon, from Mali in West Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is wood. Seated figures on stools are a well-known subject in Dogon carving, generally associated with ancestors and with altars. Here a slim body with a tapered head sits on a round stool with slender supports. The surface is deeply eroded and looks crusted and spongy, with one arm held close to the side. A dark base supports it. Thirty-six inches high.

He has withstood a good deal and remains seated.