Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Ribbed-cap rider holds a twisted rein while the horse arcs like a question

This equestrian figure is Kotoko, from Chad, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Horses have long been linked with status and leadership in the Sahel, where mounted riders are often associated with chiefs, warriors and courts. Thick, columnar legs, a banded body, and a golden-brown patina worn smooth. A figure in a tall grooved headdress sits behind a horse with a great spiral-curved neck. A twisted rein runs from the chin down to the girth. It is 2.25 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2.75 high.

All the swagger of a statue that fits in a pocket.