This powerful sculpture is a brass/bronze equestrian figure made by the Bamana (Bambara) group, Mali. It displays numerous traditional and also highly unusual characters. The horse is dynamically carved with thick, powerful legs and a comparatively slim body. The neck is tall and slender, giving rise to an extraordinary head that reflects various animals that are perhaps a naïve rendering of a nommo – fictional creatures that are involved in Dogon creation myths. Another un-horse-like feature is the upwards-curved tail which touches the back. The body is decorated with bands around the beck, small diadems in the neck and chest, and geometric hatching following the body’s contours. The figure, unusually, is female, with short legs, a very elongated torso with small protuberant breasts, and a tall, slim neck with an upwards-looking face. The arms are bound with armlets, the head surmounted by a trefoil-spiked coiffure (?). The entire piece has an irregular oxidised and handled patina indicative of a long history of usage.
The Bambara/Bamana is one of the largest groups in Mali (about 2.5 million) and lives in a savannah grassland area that contrasts strongly with the Dogon heartland. Their linguistic heritage indicates that they are part of the Mande group, although their origins go back perhaps as far as 1500 BC in the present-day Sahara (i.e. Tichitt). The height of its imperial strength was reached in the 1780s under the rule of N’golo Diarra, who expanded their territory considerably. However, their influence waned in the 19th century and the empire fell to the French in 1892.
Their complex history is echoed in the systematics of indigenous art traditions. There are four main mask forms, related to the n’tomo, Komo, Nama and Kore societies. Other forms include the famous Chi-Wara headcrest, which was used to encourage good harvests. Heavily encrusted zoomorphic “Boli” figures are also known, along with everyday items include iron staffs, wooden puppets and equestrian figures, which double as accessories for male initiation ceremonies.
As with all African groups, horses and metalwork alike are prestige-linked. A piece this size would have been a personal item, reflecting status and perhaps an important ancestor. This is a major work of Bamana art.