Dogon Seated Female Figure

Seated figure in dark metal, knees out and hands planted firmly down.

This seated female figure in iron is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Iron is the metal most associated with Dogon smithing, and wrought iron figures are generally small and angular, built up from hammered pieces. Broad-shouldered seated figure with a flat, blunt face, a tall head topknot, and long arms bent down to the knees. The torso shows small hanging forms at the chest. The dark surface is rough and pitted, with a worn gloss. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 3 high.

Calm posture, heavy presence, nothing to prove.