Beninese Standing Female Figure

She is carrying firewood. Or perhaps a broom. The casters never said.

This standing woman, cast in bronze in Benin in the 20th century, holds both arms around a bundle of thin rods tied with a cord. Small figures like this often show people at everyday work, a window on daily life. She wears a long wrap skirt textured with rows of small dots. The face is simple, with narrow eyes, a long nose and rounded ears.

The bronze is brown, with green verdigris on the feet. Just over four inches tall.

Every household knows this errand.