Dogon Stone Sculpture, Mali

A long, narrow face with a ringed spiral at the belly and not much else to say.

This stone sculpture is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is stone. Dogon art is generally associated with ancestors, shrines and the cosmology of the Bandiagara cliffs, though meanings of individual objects are often guarded. The slender sandy stone is carved in shallow relief. A crested brow, round eyes and a long nose lead to a small open mouth. A spiral and banded rings mark the lower body, and diagonal grooves wrap around the back. It is 3 inches wide and 25.5 high.

The stone was long and thin, and the carver did not argue with it.