Dogon Hair Pin with Kneeling Figure, Based

In frame, a pin with a tiny carved crown, accompanied by a spare rod beside it.

This hair pin with kneeling figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is iron. Dogon art often repeats a few themes, such as figures with raised arms, kneeling figures and animals such as lizards, which are generally linked to local beliefs and stories. Seen plainly, a slim dark shaft topped by a small ornament with beaded bands and a slim finial. A second thin rod runs alongside the stem, bent at the lower end. Both stand on a square black base. It is 2 inches wide, 2 deep and 9.25 high.

A tidy pair that knows how to keep company in silence.