Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Dark, compact, and loaded with passengers.

Kotoko casters of Chad, Central Africa, made this bronze equestrian figure in the 19th or 20th century. Horse and rider groups in the region are commonly associated with chiefly power. Two riders crowd together on a ridged saddle blanket, one holding a long thin rod across his companion. The horse’s neck curls up and back like a hook, with a fine line of rein marks along the throat. The bronze is nearly black, with green-gray in the recesses and a worn, smooth gloss on the high points.

About five inches tall and as many wide. Quiet, heavy for its size, and a good bookend.