Senufo Equestrian Figure Based

The diviner keeps small things close. A horseman, for instance.

Among the Senufo, miniature castings of riders and animals were commonly kept by diviners and owners of personal shrines, and the horseman long served as an emblem of standing and authority. This bronze, from the Ivory Coast, 20th century, shows a slender rider with a crested coiffure and sharply profiled face, sitting upright, clasping a bow-shaped object to his chest. His legs grip a stiff-legged mount whose neck stretches forward, tail sweeping down in a long curve. Dark, even patina.

Four inches, on a black base. All dignity, no hurry.