Dogon Iron Equestrian Figure

Rider and horse, cast as one. In Mali, the Dogon never saw a reason to separate them.

Mounted figures are among the most enduring subjects in Dogon art, tied to status and to the horse’s place in the region. This one is 20th-century iron, six inches tall. The rider sits upright with a tall pointed headdress and a beard, holding aloft a staff topped with a forked element. The horse stands on long, slender legs, tail sweeping down, reins looped to its head, marks incised on its chest. The patina is dark, with hints of green.

A small cavalry of two.