Dogon Seated Male Figure with Tall Hat

Squat grey figure in a tall cap, sitting with legs spread wide and flat.

This seated male figure with a tall hat is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is forged metal. The Dogon of Mali are celebrated for their sculpture and metalwork, which blacksmiths have produced for generations in the cliff and plateau country of Bandiagara. Thick, bell-shaped body topped by a tall flat-ended headpiece and a small face. The legs splay sideways into two flat, paddle-like feet. The mottled grey surface has pale highlights and rough patches. It is 1 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2.25 high.

Solid, broad, and quite settled in its spot.