Dogon Standing Male Figure

Less than four inches, and he stands with his legs apart as if to say he is not moving.

The Dogon peoples held their smiths in an important place, and small metal figures were made alongside the better-known wooden sculpture, for shrine and household practice. This iron man, from Mali or Burkina Faso, dates to the 20th century. His face is bearded, with a pronounced nose and wide-set eyes under a crested coiffure. Close horizontal ridges wrap the whole body and limbs, punctuated by small circular studs on the chest and navel. Wear on the high points shows lighter metal beneath the dark surface.

Small. Stubborn. Quite right.