Makonde Ceramic Fetish Doll, Based

Compact and square, with arms flung out and a nose like a button.

Makonde makers of Tanzania, East Africa, produced this fetish doll in terra cotta in the late 19th or early 20th century. Figures of this kind are commonly associated with protection and healing. The figure has short, kneeling legs, a flat body, and arms extended outward to knobbed hands. A simple face with a pointed nose and small ears marks the head. The clay is nearly black, with small red-brown spots and a waxy, worn sheen. A black base holds it up.

About 7 inches tall and 5 wide. The smallest voice in the chorus, and a good one.