Dogon Seated Male Figure

Figure in black with a long head, deep eyes, and legs flung out like a kicked-back cat.

This seated male figure is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 19th century. It is bronze. The Dogon people live on and below the Bandiagara escarpment in Mali, where blacksmiths have traditionally made tools, jewelry and small cast figures. Dark, glossy figure with a sharply pointed, egg-shaped head, deeply set eyes, and a slightly open mouth. The thin arms and legs extend outward, ending in tiny pads. Fine dots speckle the head and the sheen is dark and oily. It is 1 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2 high.

Relaxed limbs, intense gaze, no explanation offered.