Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Twisted rider clings to a long-legged mount with a curling head.

This equestrian figure is Kotoko, from Chad, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Bronze figures are generally made by the lost-wax method, in which a wax model is covered in clay, melted out and replaced with molten metal. Small rider with a rope-like twisted body sits atop a four-legged animal with a long neck ending in a curled head. Bands wrap the animal's body. The dark metal has a rough, uneven surface. It is 1 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 1 high.

Lumpy, wiry, and absolutely committed to the ride.