Dogon Standing Male Star Gazer Figure

A man reduced to essentials, then stretched.

This standing male star gazer figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, 20th century, hand-forged of copper and iron. Dogon blacksmiths combined technical skill with spiritual authority, and small forged figures are usually associated with altars and personal devotion, though scholars differ on the details. The face tips back. Arms drop like wires past a single thin trunk, a short peg marks him as male, and the rough surface shows rusty tones over green. He rises from a flared base to 36 inches high.

The sky has seldom had a more committed audience.