Lobi Seated Male Figure, Based

Seated, arms crossed on the knees, ready to wait.

Lobi metalworkers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, cast this seated male figure in bronze in the 20th century. The Lobi commonly make small figures called bateba, associated with protection and with spirits of the household, though details vary. The figure sits with a rounded head, wide eyes and a thin neck, and holds its hands clasped before the chest. The legs project forward, the feet turned out. The bronze is gray-green with a mottled crust, on a small black stand.

About four and a quarter inches tall. A small, patient presence.