This very old explicit male figure with no head and a long tail is among the most extraordinary objects of African art I have ever seen. The technique of manufacture is very typical of the Dogon people employing the lost wax brass casting technique typical among many African peoples. I regret that I am unfamiliar with the iconography of the Dogon but in my over 40 years of experience collecting African art I have seen numerous examples of modifications to common forms. This one, however, is the only one even close to this that I have ever seen. The object is very well worn, suggesting that it was in use for many years after the head was lost, if it ever existed.

It measures:
6 3/4 x 1 3/8 x 7/8" (17 x 3.5 x 2.2 cm)