Malian Standing Female Figure, Based

Arms folded across the chest and feet planted wide, she gives the impression of standing her ground.

This standing female figure is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 19th C. It is bronze, mounted on a base. Cast metal figures from the Inland Niger Delta are generally associated with ancestral and protective traditions, though their meanings are often uncertain. The slender figure has a long face framed by flowing hair, arms crossed over the torso, and a skirted lower body above straight legs. The feet rest on rounded pads, with fine coils at the ankles. Green patina covers much of the surface, with bronze showing through. It is 3 inches wide, 3 deep and 11 high.

Composed, upright and not inclined to argue.