Makonde Standing Male Figure, Based

Square shoulders, a pale mask of a face, and very long legs.

This standing male figure is Makonde, from Tanzania in East Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is wood. The Makonde, of southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique, have a long and well-known carving tradition. Here the body is pared down to flat planes, its arms hanging free from wide shoulders. A whitish coating lingers on the chest and thighs and is brightest on the face, where small dark marks set off the eyes and teeth. Ridged ears stand out at the sides. Sixty-five inches high.

He stands very straight, with no explanation offered.