Malian Bronze Equestrian Figure

Upright rider balanced on a horse built like a coat hanger.

This bronze equestrian figure is from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Lost-wax casting is the usual method for such figures, in which a wax model is covered in clay, melted out and filled with molten metal. Long, flat bar forms the body, with legs that curve outward and end in small round pads. A narrow figure stands straight above it with a short projecting arm. Surface is smooth tan to brown with a faint sheen. It is 5 inches wide, 2 deep and 4 high.

Minimalism before anyone named it, and just as stubborn.