Dogon Hair Pick Depicting Kneeling Female Figure with Arms Raised, Based

Nearby, a slim rod with a small seated figure and a little loop above its head.

This hair pick depicting a kneeling female figure with arms raised is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Dogon metalworkers have long made small bronze and iron objects, including pins and picks for the hair, which are often topped with a small figure or animal. Pictured here, a narrow, dark brown shaft mounted on a square black stand. A small seated figure sits near the top, framed by a looping arch, with a second tiny figure lower on the stem. It is 2 inches wide, 2 deep and 8 high.

Tall, narrow and perched high, with a nice sense of occasion.