Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Four spindly legs, a hide-wrapped body and a very small passenger.

Kotoko metalworkers of Chad, Central Africa, made this equestrian figure in bronze and leather in the 20th century. Kotoko cast bronzes of riders and animals are often associated with chiefly status and the lost-wax tradition of the Lake Chad region. The body here is a thick, rough slab of weathered surface in tan and dusty rose, supported on four thin bronze legs. A small bronze creature perches along the top edge and a curled handle loops at one side. Gold glints through the crust.

About 5 inches tall. Small enough to pocket, odd enough to be asked about.