Kotoko Ring with Spider Figure

Clinging to an oval plate on a heavy ring, a bulging little creature stays put.

This cast bronze ring with spider figure is Kotoko, from Chad, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Spiders appear in the stories and divination practices of several West and Central African peoples, where they are often seen as wise or as links to the unseen. Golden-brown with a rough, pitted surface, the cast disc has a rounded, bug-like body and stubby legs in raised relief. A thick band below the plate has an uneven, hand-finished texture. It is 1.25 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 1.25 high.

A crawler with a tremendous sense of its own importance.