Cameroonian Bronze Equestrian Figure

The little horse leans into its work with a turban-topped rider balanced upright and serious.

This cast bronze equestrian figure from Cameroon is from Cameroon, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Horse and rider figures are found across the Sahel and West Africa, where the mounted figure is generally linked to chiefs, warriors and authority. Simply, a rider with a tall banded headdress sits on a chunky animal with stubby legs, a sweeping neck and a small head tipped forward. Green and pinkish patches mottle the rough, uneven surface, and one rear leg is shorter. It is 1.5 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 1.5 high.

Short in the leg, long on determination.