Lobi Standing Figure of a Dog

One flat bar of iron, four short legs, a tail curled like a question mark. That is a dog.

Lobi smiths of Burkina Faso forged this figure in the 20th century. They made iron figures of animals and people for shrines and for protection. The muzzle stretches forward and slightly upward, a narrow slit marking the mouth, with the tail curling up in a crisp arc at the back. The feet turn outward. The surface is rough and pitted from the forge and from age.

Eleven and a quarter inches. Part animal, part drawing in metal. Entirely economical.