Dogon Double Headed Equestrian Figure

One horse, two riders, no reins and no hesitation.

Dogon metalworkers of Mali, West Africa, forged this double-headed equestrian figure in iron in the early 20th century. Horse and rider imagery is widely associated with leadership and status in Dogon art. A pair of heads rises from one flat torso, and the rider’s thin arms reach forward to the horse’s neck. The legs are rods, with angular, hooved ends. The iron is dark and slightly pitted, with warm brown highlights where the rust has spread.

About 5.2 inches tall. It gallops nowhere, quite beautifully.