Dogon Wood Door Lock

A small bird sits on top, beak down, as if inspecting the latch.

This door lock is Dogon, from Mali or Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood. Birds, antelopes and human figures are common finials on Dogon locks, which were made to secure granaries and houses. Here a plump bird with a curved beak perches above a rectangular case incised with crosshatching and bands of lines. Two small openings and a comb-like pointed base finish the bottom. The bolt is ribbed at one end and plain at the other. It is 13.5 inches wide and 17.5 high.

Even a lock appreciates an early bird.