1974.Sc.14 Equestrian figure

The sculptor of this figure emphasizes the horseman's aggressive power by giving him both a warrior's and a hunter's hat and bared teeth. The figure's arched back creates the illusion of forward movement while his fanlike hands, which hold neither a spear nor reins, signify control of his horse using his strong limbs and spiritual powers.

The introduction of the horse by Muslim traders had great influence on peoples of the Sahel and savannah regions. Calvary augmented the force of armies and created powerful fighting machines. Horse imagery thus became a recurring motif in art. Among the Senufo, the Sandogo women's divination society used equestrian figures because they visualize power, wealth, and status, and add to the mobility of the diviner's bush spirit contacts.

By 1966: Schindler Collection, New York [1]

1974: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, The Gustave and Franyo Schindler Collection of African Sculpture, gift of the McDermott Foundation in honor of Eugene McDermott [2]

[1] Exhibited at Museum of Primitive Art in the exhibition "Masks and Sculptures from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler," 1966: cat. no. 28.

[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

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