Dogon Hair Pin with Figure & Horns

Mali, a blacksmith, a fire. At the end of it, something to hold up the hair.

Dogon blacksmiths held a respected place, and their ironwork included personal ornaments as well as tools and figures. This 20th-century pin, forged in iron, is crowned by a small figure set beneath a pair of curving horns. It tapers to a long, slender shaft marked by two thin raised rings, nine and a half inches in all. At the top, a flat, shield-like plate frames the figure in relief, its notched edges rising to the crescent of horns.

The surface is dark and smooth, with a soft sheen from handling.

An ornament with a backbone.