Haya Standing Figure of a Bull

A bull, reduced to a bar, four legs and a pair of horns. A smith’s shorthand.

This standing bull was forged from iron in Tanzania in the 20th century. Cattle hold deep importance across much of East Africa as measures of wealth and standing, and they are a natural subject for the smith. The body is a single bar on four splayed, slightly bowed legs, with a thin tail curving up behind. The head is barely more than a block. The horns rise in a wide, upswept U that dominates the silhouette.

The surface is dark brown with traces of rust and hammer marks. Thirteen and a half inches long. Everything extra has been taken away, and he’s better for it.