Name: 20th Century West African Dogon Iron Equestrian Sculpture
Brand: IOTA
SKU: 121961
Availability: OutOfStock

20th Century West African Dogon Iron Equestrian Sculpture

This striking early 19th-century iron sculpture from Mali depicts a mounted Dogon rider. IOTA sourced the piece from a dealer who claimed to buy this piece from the George Farrow Collection.

Unlike many traditional Dogon equestrian figures, where the rider is oversized in relation to a small horse, this example features a slender, elongated horse with delicate legs, a curved neck and pointed ears. The rider has the elongated limbs typical of Dogon sculpture, while the broader, angular head shows possible Bambara/Bamana influence. He carries a spear in one hand, while the other appears to hold reins that are now missing.

The Dogon are an important cultural group from the Bandiagara region of Mali, renowned for their distinctive artistic traditions and skilled ironworking. Their sculptures encompass figures, animals and ancestral or spiritual subjects, created in materials including wood, stone, bronze and iron. Ironworking was a specialist craft, used not only for weapons but also for ceremonial and artistic objects.

The exact purpose of this sculpture is uncertain. The mounted and armed figure may represent a wealthy or important individual, as horse ownership was traditionally associated with status, or it may depict an ancestral or legendary figure. Whatever its original function, the sculpture reflects the technical skill and distinctive artistic traditions of Dogon metalwork.

Width 23cm. Hight 19cm

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