Makonde Seated Male Fetish Doll

Knees up, hands out, a serious little man in clay.

This seated male fetish doll is Makonde work from Tanzania, East Africa, in terra cotta, dated to the late 19th or early 20th century. Makonde clay figures are commonly linked to protection and ancestral concerns. He sits with bent knees drawn to the front and both arms held forward, each hand shaped as a small knob. The head is wide, with pierced eyes and a small open mouth. The fired surface is brown and grainy, with pale abrasions across the shoulders.

About 4 inches tall. Pocket scale, desk-sized presence.