Dogon Stylized Kneeling Male Figure

Almost calligraphy. A body drawn in a single arch.

Dogon metalwork often reduces the human body to a few expressive lines, and this bronze, cast in Mali in the 20th century, takes that further. The figure arches upward from bent folded legs at the base to a small head with a long nose and pointed chin, which meets the top of a large oval ring. The ring’s outer edge is cut with saw-tooth projections, and small knobs punctuate the inner band.

The patina is smooth, dark brown, with a soft sheen. Nearly six inches tall. Study it from the side, then from the front, then again.