Malian Bronze Equestrian Figure

A rider made of straight lines, perched on a horse made of the same.

This equestrian figure is Djenne, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Horse and rider figures from Mali are generally read as images of rank and horsemanship. The horse is drawn in a few simple bars, with a high arched neck, a long tail and two sets of upright legs. The rider sits tall in the middle, a narrow figure with a pointed head, reaching forward along the neck. Green patina covers the dark metal. It is 3 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 3.5 high.

Hardly a line wasted, though a few were left out.