Dogon Standing Female Figure

Arms looped in a circle around the chest give this figure a keen pose.

This standing female figure in bronze is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Female figures appear often in Dogon art, and scholars generally relate them to ideas of fertility, lineage and the sustaining role of women, though interpretations vary. Seen here, a narrow standing figure with bent arms that form open rings in front of the breasts and a ringed neck. A band of ridges circles the hips, and the legs end in ankle bands and flat feet. The finish is dark brown with gold edges. It is 1.25 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 6 high.

A circle of arms and an air of calm.