This fine old bronze hairpin from the Dogon tribe in Mali shows a seated couple symbolically connected to each other. The Dogon are famous for depicting the human form with an ovoid head and squared characteristics seen in these remarkable pins.
The characteristic Dogon figures are in a seated position, hands placed firmly on their knees. Their backs are very straight and they appear to be bound at the elbows.
Among other things the Dogon are famous for their small cast figures and objects, which despite their small size, express status, prestige and power. The cast metal figures are made by the complex traditional lost-wax process, they are all small enough to be cast solid. The Dogon used metal for their most important ritual objects as well as everyday objects, farming implements and weapons.

Provenance: collection Ursula Voorhuis (formerly attached to the Africa museum Nijmegen, Netherlands)