Adangbe Iron Fetish Figure, Based

An iron nail juts from the mouth like an unfinished sentence, and the figure keeps its counsel.

This fetish figure is Adangbe, from Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood, pigment and iron. Power figures in this part of West Africa are generally understood to be activated by added materials. Here a seated or crouching figure has its knees drawn up and arms folded close, bound at the middle with cord. An iron nail projects from the flat oval face. The dark wood is splashed with deep blue pigment throughout. It is mounted on a stand and is 5 inches wide, 6.5 deep and 14.25 high.

It has plainly been asked to keep a secret, and it intends to.