Malian Kneeling Female with Crossed Arms

Arms stretched out like a tightrope walker, legs splayed in a casual sit.

This bronze kneeling female figure with crossed arms is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Small cast bronze figures in West Africa were generally made by the lost-wax method, in which a wax model is covered in clay and replaced with molten metal. Seated figure with a round head, a thin torso and a long horizontal bar of arms held across the front. Legs extend outward to flat, flared feet. Surface is pale green and dusty, with darker metal showing through. It is 1.25 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2.5 high.

Balanced, symmetrical, and quietly pleased with its own geometry.