Fon Iron Fertility Fetish, Based

Enter a little pinned peg with a pointed hat and a stance that says it means business.

This iron fertility fetish figure on a base is Fon, from Togo, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Figures called fetishes in the older literature are made to be activated and used by a priest or owner, and their meanings depend on the community that made them. Seen head on, a short pointed cap crowns a thin shaft that flares into a wide two-pronged foot, mounted on a low black base. The surface is orange-brown and grainy, and a small wire pin pokes from the stem. It is 3 inches wide, 1 deep and 8 high.

Modest in size, immodest in posture.