Malian Ring with Equestrian Motif, Based

On a pin-thin pedestal, a very small rider keeps a very small horse moving.

This cast bronze ring with equestrian motif and a base is from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Djenne in Mali is among the oldest towns of West Africa, long known for its trade, its mud architecture and its metalwork and terracotta figures. Dark and mottled, the cast figure shows a rider seated on a horse with pricked ears and a stiff tail, atop a small flat platform. Below is a bent hook shape, and the surface has a gray-green crust. It is 2 inches wide, 2 deep and 6.5 high.

Tiny, determined, and not about to slow down.