Dogon Male/Female Ancestor Figure on Horseback

A beard and a breast on one rider. Dogon sculptors saw no contradiction.

This male and female ancestor figure on horseback is Dogon, from Sangha Village in the Mopti Region of Mali, West Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. It is carved of wood. Dogon carvers made figures like this for family shrines and altars, where they are thought to honor ancestors; the horse is often read as a sign of status. The rider sits upright, with a long pointed beard and one small breast, hand on the mount's neck. Ridged bands circle ankles and hooves. The surface shows dark patina over rubbed wood. Thirty-one and a half inches high and 16 wide.

The horse looks straight ahead. So does the rider.