Kotoko Bronze Equestrian Figure

Horsemen in Chad’s Lake country stood for power and prestige. The Kotoko cast them small.

This bronze rider, 20th century, is about three and a half inches tall. The horse is wonderfully stylized: neck curling back into a scroll, fitted with twisted reins and a ribbed collar, tail sweeping upward. The rider wears a tall ringed headdress and holds a pointed shaft diagonally across his body.

The metal has a smooth, chocolate-brown patina with traces of green.

He holds the diagonal like a man who has made his point.