Dogon Standing Maternity Figure, Based

Arms up, hands out, the whole figure open like a window.

Dogon casters of Mali, West Africa, cast this standing maternity figure in bronze in the 20th century. Figures with raised arms are commonly associated with prayer, with gestures of invocation, and with fertility themes. She stands tall with a small head, large raised arms and a slender body whose center is open, almost hollow. The legs are straight and end in a small foot on a mounting. The dark grey-green surface shows crisp casting texture. A black square base supports the piece.

About 7 and a half inches tall. A lot of air, and all of it deliberate.