Dogon Figure with Headdress, Mali

The headdress climbs higher than the head it belongs to.

This figure with headdress is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is forged metal, and it comes on a base. Elaborate headdresses appear across West African sculpture and are generally taken as marks of status or ceremony. A tall stem rises from a narrow, elongated face and ends in a crescent and a small crown of points. The arms bend to rest on the hips, and the legs spread in a narrow oval above a round foot. The dark surface is lightly crusted. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 5 high.

All that height, and not a hair out of place.