Makonde Fetish Doll Depicting Quadruped

A four-legged figure with the patience of a ram.

Makonde makers of Tanzania, East Africa, made this terra cotta fetish figure of a quadruped in the late 19th or early 20th century. Clay animal figures of this kind are often linked with protective and ritual use, and their forms stay deliberately simple. This one stands on thick, columnar legs, its long body slightly sagging, with a lifted head and a tiny open mouth. The surface is dark and weathered, with a thin fracture at the neck.

About 8 inches long. Plain, serious and quietly handsome on a bookshelf.