Dogon Bronze Equestrian Figure

Horse and rider fused into one line, chin up, the cast edges still visible.

Dogon casters of Mali, West Africa, made this equestrian figure in bronze in the 19th or 20th century. Dogon riders on horseback are widely associated with leadership, ancestry and the idea of the heroic. A seated rider with a long face leans toward the horse’s raised head, which carries a high, pointed crest. The horse’s legs are angular and splayed. The bronze has an even, dark green-black patina with traces of lighter metal where it has been rubbed.

About 5.8 inches tall. Dignified, upright, and a little windswept.