Kotoko Stylized Equestrian Figure

Crouching mount with whorled eyes and a rider holding on tight.

This stylized Kotoko equestrian figure in cast bronze is Kotoko, from Chad, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Stylization reduces a figure to its essential lines, so that the rider and horse are often shown with simplified, elongated or angular forms. Low-slung animal with a flat back, a broad head with swirled markings and stubby legs bent outward. A small rider hugs the back, and teal-green deposits dot the dull golden surface. It is 2.5 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2 high.

All hunch and heart, with a rider hugging tight.