Dogon Standing Female Figure, Based

Two arms and two legs split from one thin rod, and the whole figure somehow stands.

This standing female figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is iron, and it comes on a base. Dogon blacksmiths forged tall, spare figures like this one, which are generally associated with shrines and with the smith's craft. The body is a single narrow shaft that forks into arms at the shoulders and legs that cross near the ankles. A small crest tops the narrow head, and tiny breasts mark the chest. The surface is rust-gold and pitted. It is 2.5 inches wide, 1 deep and 15.5 high.

A figure drawn in iron with a blacksmith's economy.