Dogon Wood Washboard, Mali, Based

Laundry day, as imagined by a sculptor.

This Dogon washboard was made in Mali, West Africa, in wood in the early 20th century. A ribbed board is a working tool for scrubbing cloth, and the carved head at the top turns it into small sculpture. A long panel of horizontal ridges, rounded and evenly cut, rises to a slim neck and a stylized head with a narrow, tapering face. The wood is pale, dry and weathered, with soft, rubbed edges and darker staining toward the bottom. A slim black metal stand carries it upright.

About 31 inches tall. Hang up the idea that it belongs in a laundry room.