Makonde Standing Male Fetish Doll, Based

Narrow, upright, and speckled like an old stone.

Makonde artists of Tanzania, East Africa, made this standing male fetish doll in terra cotta in the late 19th or early 20th century. Figures like it are commonly associated with protective or healing purposes. The slim body stands straight with arms held close, a rounded head with a small, pinched face and a long, straight torso. The surface is a golden brown with dark flecks and mottled lighter areas, smooth where handled and rough where it has been worn. Small, flat feet anchor it.

About 8 inches tall. Spare, tall for its size, a good neighbor to a candle.