Small Fon bronze depicting a kneeling lady, probably a servant, who is wearing a polkadot dress and a necklace. Her knees originally had pegs that would have been attached to an iron ‘Asen’ altar which has disintegrated long ago. These altars served as monuments to the deceased for the Fon people. Placed in family shrines, such altars became the focus of interaction with the ancestors. Very often human altar figures were flanked by animals or cherished objects. This figure dates from the early 20th century. Ouidah Fon culture. Benin. West Africa. Dimensions: Height 7.4 cm. Width 5.0 cm. Depth 5.0 cm. Weight including stand 82.9 grams.