Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

The saddle is a mattress, and it is full.

This bronze equestrian figure is the work of Kotoko metalworkers in Chad, Central Africa, 19th or 20th century. The type is commonly read as a sign of rank, since horses were costly and tied to leaders. Two small riders sit side by side, wearing ridged caps, on a saddle cloth cast with fine parallel ribs. A twisted rope-like rein loops from the horse’s curling head along its neck. The surface is a deep chocolate brown, rubbed lighter along the back.

About four inches tall, six inches wide. It likes a low table and a little company.