Makonde Male Fetish Doll, Based

Made by hand, kept close, and never put on show. That was the way with household figures among the Makonde of Tanzania, shaped for protective or devotional use.

This terra cotta man dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. He stands just over eleven inches tall, arms straight out to the sides, each ending in a fan of stubby fingers. Small knobs mark the ears on a rounded head. The mouth is open. The navel and male anatomy are clearly modeled. The coarse, pitted surface has darkened to mottled brown and gray, and he now rests on a black base.

He holds his arms out as if to ask what you are doing in his house.