Dogon Iron Maternity Figure, Based

A mother seated with one knee raised, a child against her shoulder. Dogon sculpture returns to this again and again.

It speaks, they say, to fertility and to the continuity of the lineage. This one is iron, 20th century, only two and a half inches tall. Compact and frontal, with a tall crested coiffure, a long nose, almond eyes, a squared chin. Her breasts are full, and incised horizontal marks run down torso and arms. The metal shows a coppery sheen on raised surfaces, against a soft blue-green patina in the recesses.

Small enough to lose. Look closely, and you will not.