African Forged Iron Standing Figure, Based

Five and a half inches, knees slightly bent, hands on the belly. Ready for something.

Small metal figures were made in many West African workshops as personal, protective and shrine objects. This forged iron figure, 20th century, stands upright with a narrow face, a long pointed chin and a crest running over the top of the head. A necklace with two hanging pendants falls across the chest, and the feet are finely marked with toes. A deep black patina, rubbed to highlights at the high points, gives it a smooth, handled look.

On its base, it makes a dark little punctuation mark on a shelf.