Dogon Figure 'Chiefs History'

A table, a ceremony, a dozen tiny people. Everyone has something to say.

Dogon metalworkers of Mali, West Africa, cast this figural group, titled ‘Chiefs History’ in the record, in bronze in the 19th century. Dogon bronzes are made by lost-wax casting and are often associated with ritual use and with status. A square stand with four thin, braced legs carries a cluster of small figures along its top: two upright and one lying down. The metal has a dusty green-brown patina, rough with casting detail, and the open frame gives it a skeletal lightness.

About 5 inches tall. Small, dense, and full of plot.