Dogon Male Twisted Figure

A snake climbs him like a vine, and he holds his ground.

Dogon artists of Mali, West Africa, cast this male twisted figure in bronze in the early 20th century. Twisted or spiral forms in Dogon bronze are commonly associated with serpents and with the cosmology of the Nommo ancestor spirits. A tall, thin figure with a small head rises from a round, flat base, and a coil wraps from the waist up to the shoulders. The surface is a gray-green patina, with a rough texture and a few rust-brown flecks.

About six and a half inches tall. An elegant, slightly sinister bookend.