Dogon Seated Male Figure

He sits back on folded legs, long arms falling straight to the knees. Not a man for fidgeting.

Dogon smiths in Mali cast metal figures for shrines and as personal objects, and their pared-down forms echo the larger wooden sculpture of the region. This one, made in the 20th century, stands under four inches. The head is long and narrow, with a strong brow, heavy-lidded eyes and a jutting chin, on a thin neck above broad squared shoulders. A rounded navel projects from the slender torso.

The dark brown surface is mottled with pale green encrustation. It looks long kept and handled. Small, solemn, patient.