Chamba Seated Male Figure with Neck Ring

Tiny, bright figure with outflung arms and a curled base like a ram's horns.

This seated male figure with a neck ring is Chamba, from Cameroon, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is cast bronze. The Chamba of Cameroon and Nigeria are known for cast brass and bronze work, including small figures made by the lost-wax method. Abstract little figure with a lumpy head and torso, two arms that flare out sideways, and a base formed of two curling arcs. The surface is a pale olive-gold with dark crevices and soft green traces. It is 0.75 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 2.25 high.

Cheerfully odd, and entirely uninterested in anatomy.