Dogon Equestrian Figure with Spear

The spear lies across his body. The horse waits, ears up.

Mounted figures recur in Dogon sculpture, reflecting the high regard for horses and horsemen in the region’s history. This bronze, from Mali and the 20th century, has a horse with a long rectangular head, upright ears and a looping rein, a curved tail and tall, slender legs.

The rider sits with bent knees and ringed ankles, his neck long and ringed and his head crested, with jutting lips and chin in profile. A gray-green mottled patina, flecked with darker spots, covers the whole.

He is not hurrying. He doesn’t need to.