Dogon Equestrian Figure with Crossed Arms

The horse is all legs. The rider is all neck.

Dogon casters of Mali, West Africa, made this equestrian figure in bronze. The record gives no date. Dogon horsemen are frequently read as images of authority, travel or ancestry, though interpretations differ. Here the tall slender rider crosses his arms and curls his head into a small spiral, while the horse stands on four straight rod legs with a pointed muzzle. The brown surface carries flecks of green corrosion, giving it a dry, crusty texture.

About four inches tall. Spare to the point of being a drawing in metal.