Bambara Figure of Seated Man with Bound Hands

His hands are tied, or wrapped to look it. He sits anyway.

The Bambara (Bamana) of Mali held their smiths in respect and power, and iron made by them carried meaning beyond the merely practical. This small seated man, 20th century, is elongated and narrow, seven inches tall, with a crested head and incised face on a long neck ringed by a collar. The torso is decorated with incised lines and small raised dots. The hands meet at the waist, and below, the legs curve forward and down into rounded feet. Dark patina, pale deposits in the recesses.

Bound. Unbothered. A fine lesson in posture.