African Bronze Male Figure

Sits with one knee up, the other leg folded under. Relaxed, for a bronze.

Small cast figures were widely made in West Africa, often kept as personal or protective objects. This male figure was cast in bronze in the 20th century and measures just over three inches tall. The large head has a broad nose, a wide mouth and a full rounded beard, while the belly swells forward beneath narrow shoulders. Hands rest at his sides. The patina is dark, almost black, worn bright at the high points, with pale deposits in the recesses. A small round hole near the base may be a casting flaw.

A flaw, if so, that he carries well.