Dogon Double Headed Male Figure, Based

Two heads, one body, and almost no body at all.

Dogon blacksmiths held a special place in society, and iron figures of this kind were placed on shrines, where they were associated with ancestors and prayers. This one, forged in Mali in the 20th century, stands sixteen inches high. It is drawn almost like a line in space: a thin vertical body, long arms falling straight from wide shoulders, long legs that separate below the hips and end in small flat feet. Two small heads rise side by side from the neck.

The iron is rough, rust-brown, with lighter mineral traces.

Remarkably modern in its economy. A line, and nothing wasted.