Mbali soapstone sculpture

A woman standing with her arms folded up to clutch her breasts, and her head tilted back. She is carved from a single piece of soapstone.

The skin is polished dark and smooth, while the dress and the hair are rough and pale. She stands 24 cm tall, 10 cm across, and weighs 2 kg. Each figure is cut from its own block and finished by hand, so no two come out the same. Mbali is Ndebele for flower.

The craftsperson works alone in Zimbabwe, carving stone he sources near his home. Each figure is one piece of stone, with nothing joined, glued, or added on. The rough shape comes first, then the folds of the dress and the hair, and last the skin, which he rubs down and polishes to achieve the smooth, darker finish. The polished areas are then waxed.

Dust it with a dry cloth, and use a damp one when it needs more than that. Soapstone will scratch against anything harder than itself, so keep it clear of grit and lift it rather than sliding it across a surface. The sheen on the polished skin is wax, so keep detergent and hot water off it, and wax those areas again about once a year to bring it back.