Kissi Female Figure with Bird on Top

A bird lands on her head and she carries on regardless.

Kissi carvers of Sierra Leone, West Africa, made this stone female figure, dated in the record to the 17th century. Stone figures of this type, often called nomoli or pomdo in the wider Kissi and Mende region, are commonly found in fields and are associated with ancestors and fertility. The woman stands with hands on her chest, a banded wrap at the waist and wide, open eyes. A bird with spread wings crowns her head. The grey stone is weathered, with a worn, softly pitted surface.

About 10 inches tall. Small, steady, and older than most of the furniture you own.