Dogon Seated Maternity Figure

She holds the child, and the stool holds them both.

Dogon metalworkers of Mali, West Africa, cast this seated maternity figure in bronze. Dogon art, including small cast figures, commonly deals with ancestors, fertility and motherhood. The woman sits on a round stool, one arm bent across her body to cradle an infant against her chest. Her elongated head carries a tall crested hairstyle and small raised eyes, and her long legs fold down to flat feet. The brown surface is lightly pitted, with warmer red tones on the raised areas.

About four inches tall. Small enough to carry, steady enough to stay put.