Dogon Standing Male Tellem Figure

He leans back into a long, slow curve, face lifted, and asks nothing further.

This standing male Tellem figure is carved wood, from the Dogon people of Mali in West Africa. Figures in this attenuated manner take the name of the Tellem, generally regarded as the earlier inhabitants of the Bandiagara cliffs. The body is one long bowed line, from a rounded foot up to a blade-shaped head. Pale patches and darker crust alternate along the length, and a small ridge runs up the torso. The male form is plainly shown. It stands 61 inches high on a black metal plate.

There is a kind of authority in standing this far off plumb.