Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Gold at the edges, and three men on one horse.

Kotoko artisans of Chad, Central Africa, made this equestrian figure in bronze in the 20th century. Kotoko horsemen are often tied to chiefly status and to the symbolism of the horse. Three riders with ridged, cone-like heads sit in a row along the back, arms reaching toward one another. A long, sickle-shaped neck curls forward, wound with a twisted rope. The legs flare slightly at the base. The metal has been polished to a bright brassy yellow, with darker brown in the folds.

About five inches tall. The shiniest of the herd, and happy to say so.