Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Horse and rider, cast as one. No seams, no second thoughts.

This small bronze, from the Kotoko of Chad in the 20th century, recalls the prestige long attached to horses across the region. The rider sits upright in a ribbed conical cap, gripping a finely twisted rein that loops to the horse’s tall, hooked head.

Four tapering, spike-like legs. A curled tail. A ribbed blanket at the base of the neck. Warm brown metal, touches of green in the recesses, and the whole of it small enough to rest in the palm.

Hold it. It won’t object.