Dogon Iron Maternity Figure

The child lies across her lap, held in a cradle of two long arms.

This maternity figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is iron. Dogon art often returns to the mother and child, a subject generally tied to fertility and the survival of the family line. She sits upright with legs set side by side on two flat feet. A crested head rests on a straight neck above square shoulders. The infant lies across her lap, head to one side and feet to the other. Green flecks mark the dark surface. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1 deep and 4.25 high.

A small lap with a very important passenger.