Dogon Iron Hairpin with Equestrian, Based

Hair was an occasion. The pin was the punctuation.

Dogon hairpins were worn as adornment and could signal status, and a figurative top showed what the smith could do. This one, forged in iron in Mali in the 20th century, rises seven inches. A long tapering shaft, wrapped with small rings near the top. Above it, an open lattice with knobbed terminals carries a horse with pricked ears and an arched neck, rider seated upright. The dark surface keeps a soft sheen on the high points.

A horse and rider, riding out of someone’s hair. Keep it near other small metalwork and let them talk.