Senufo Bronze Seated Figure

Cross-legged, six inches tall, and covered in stamped circles. He is not in a hurry.

The Senufo of Mali have long used the lost-wax method to cast small figures and ornaments, many kept for protection or tied to divination. This one was cast in bronze in the 20th century. Its legs are crossed and drawn up in front, the body rising as a tall column. The chest is crosshatched. The arms bend outward, hands meeting at the abdomen, and the head is an elongated oval with a narrow crest.

The patina is dark and slightly greenish, with lighter deposits caught in the recesses of the decoration. A fine neighbor for a stack of books.