Dogon Standing Figure on Stool

The stool comes first. Among the Dogon, it is never just furniture.

Stools carry meaning tied to ancestors and to the order of the world, and small cast figures were kept for personal and shrine use. This bronze, Mali, 20th century, stands six inches tall. A crested head. A strap or implement across the chest, another object held at the side. Beneath the feet, a round seat on splayed, arching legs. The dark bronze is crusted with green in the recesses, which gives the casting its depth.

Slender, upright, seated above everything. Sensible.