Dogon Seated Figure on Bench

He sits on a bench, legs apart, as stern as a magistrate.

This seated figure on a bench was forged in iron by Dogon metalworkers of Mali, West Africa, in the 20th century. Iron figures from the region are often associated with ritual use and are sometimes connected with ancestral themes. A tall figure with a round head and long, thin arms looks forward from above, and below him a second, smaller figure appears to sit inside the wide frame of the bench. The iron is dark brown and rough, with a coarse, rusted texture.

About 3.5 inches tall. Small enough to hold in one hand.