Dogon Bronze Maternity Figure

Tall and angular, she holds her baby against her hip like a handbag.

Dogon casters of Mali, West Africa, made this maternity figure in bronze in the early 20th century. Standing maternity figures are commonly connected in Dogon art with fertility, ancestry and protection of the family. Her head tapers upward into a crest, and her arms are bent to cradle a small child at the waist. The long body ends in wide, flat feet. The surface is a dark brown, smooth on the arms and slightly rougher on the skirt.

About 7 inches tall. Elegant verticality for a shelf of lower things.