Dogon Standing Male Figure, Based

Wrapped from head to heel, as if in coiled thread. The smith did not skip a ridge.

Dogon smiths worked by the lost-wax method, and their small figures were kept on shrines and associated with offerings and the ancestors. This bronze man from Mali, 20th century, rises just over six inches on a black base. Small studs mark the chest and navel, and a flat panel serves as a loincloth. The arms hang long at the sides, ending in broad hands. The round head has a central crest, small ears and an open mouth.

A warm golden-brown surface touched with green in the hollows.

Look closely. Then closer.