Fon Bird Form Stake

Tilted slightly, as if listening, this lean figure with a dark, bluish head holds its pose.

This bird-form stake is from Benin, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood & pigment. The Fon people were the main people of the Dahomey Kingdom in what is now Benin, and the region is known for its metalwork, cloth and wood sculpture. The tall, tapering body is worn and grainy, with a faint buff surface and visible cracks along its length. A smaller head with flat angular planes shows dark violet-brown patina. A black wire clip and square foot support it. It is 0.88 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 10 high.

Thin, quiet, and entirely unbothered by the stand.