Dogon Wood Door Lock

A ribbed crown, a short neck and a long, slender body: the lock stands upright alone.

This door lock is Dogon, from Mali or Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. Dogon locks secure granary and house doors with a crossbar that slides through the vertical case, and the case is often given a head or crest. Here the case is shown on its own, without the crossbar. A squared top cut with deep vertical grooves sits on a short neck. Below, the body is incised with chevrons and bands of horizontal lines, with an open loop at the base. It is 3 inches wide and 12.5 high.

Slim, upright, and still standing guard.