Dogon Standing Female Figure

Slender standing figure with hands pressed together low and a pointed head.

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. On view, a tall, thin cast figure with a long face, a ringed neck and arms that angle down to meet at the front. Small breasts and a tapered torso lead to straight legs with ankle bands. The surface is dark gold with brown shading. It is 1 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 6.25 high.

Standing tall, and not about to relax.