Dogon Standing Figural Amulet: "Two Wives"

Three women, joined at the hands, thinner than a rumor.

Dogon artisans of Mali, West Africa, cast this amulet in bronze in the 20th century. Small Dogon bronzes of linked figures are often associated with pairs, twins or ancestors, and were commonly worn or kept as personal pieces. Three slender standing figures hold each other at the elbows, heads smooth and tapered, arms bent to the chest, legs long and straight. The metal has darkened to a smoky brown. It rests on a slim black stand.

About three inches wide. Small enough to carry, odd enough to start a conversation.