A fine and rare pair of Dogon male and female figures

each of similar form, standing on bent legs the torsos with dramatically pitched forward chests beneath the helmet-shaped heads with metal eyes; '293A' and '293B' on the bases; varied medium brown surface decorated with linear incisions.

Georges Rodrigues, New York, December 1967

The Brill pair belongs to a rare Dogon style known as tomo-ka. Originating from the plain of the Seno River where the Dogon mixed with the Bamana and possibly Mossi populations, sculptures of this style are distinguished by the angular stylization of the body, the crested coiffure, semicircular ears and often inserted metal eyes. For a closely related pair cf. Bacquart 1998: 61, figure 13; for other statues in the tomo-ka style cf. Leloup 1994, figures 132-135.