Dogon Kneeling Fertility Figure with Adornments

Her torso is tattooed with rows of tiny beads of metal, and she kneels like she means it.

Dogon artists of Mali, West Africa, cast this kneeling fertility figure in bronze in the 20th century. Kneeling female figures in Dogon art are commonly associated with fertility, motherhood and ancestral blessing. She kneels with her hands folded forward, her neck long, her head topped by a crest. Beadlike bands and ornaments cover the torso and limbs. The metal is a dull, cool green-gray with a velvety surface, set on a black base.

About seven inches tall. Calm, adorned, and quietly authoritative.