Dogon Standing Female Star Gazer Figure

Thirty-three inches tall and barely there.

This standing female star gazer figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, 20th century, hand-forged of copper and iron. Smiths held a respected and ritually important place in Dogon society, and forged figures are generally linked to altars, though their exact meaning is still debated. The name describes the pose, with the small head lifted. Long thin arms hang free of a stalk of a body, which rises on two slender legs from a flared base. The rough surface has gone a pale, crusty green. 33 inches high.

Nobody has ever looked less concerned about the ground.