Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Small, crested rider perches on a bird-headed mount, resting on a tidy black base.

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. Tiny horse-like creature with a beaked head carries a rider wearing a tall crested headdress. Four short legs stand on a flat black stand. The dark metal is detailed with incised lines and a pitted surface. It is 2 inches wide, 1 deep and 2 high.

Small, fierce, and properly mounted on a base.