Dogon Stargazer Standing Straight with Rectangular Base, Male

A man reduced to a single vertical line, with his feet on a small square of ground.

This male stargazer, standing straight on a rectangular base, comes from Mali or Burkina Faso. It is contemporary Dogon work in forged iron and copper. Iron held particular weight in Dogon life, and blacksmiths were regarded as figures of both skill and spiritual standing. Upright from the square base, the rod widens at the hips and again at the shoulders, with slots cut between arms and torso. A small face looks straight ahead. The rough surface mixes olive and rust. It stands 39.5 inches high and 3.25 wide.

Posture like that takes a lifetime, or a forge.