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Equestrian Figure

Figure seated on the back of a horse with a body in a curved horseshoe shape. The figure's arms and legs have broken off and both the figure and the horse are decorated with small dots of a dark pigment.

Figure seated on the back of a horse with a body in a curved horseshoe shape. The figure's arms and legs have broken off and both the figure and the horse are decorated with small dots of a dark pigment.

Culture Djenné
Title Equestrian Figure
Date 15th–18th century
Medium Clay and pigment
Dimensions Object: 9 5/8 × 3 × 5 1/2 in. (24.4 × 7.6 × 14 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 9 15/16 × 3 1/2 × 5 3/16 in. (25.2 × 8.9 × 13.2 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 76.98.1

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About this Work

Since few Djenné figures have been found in controlled archaeological excavations, the extent of their use is unclear, but they may have served as devotional or commemorative images. The depiction of an equestrian may refer to the glories of military success as well as the power and wealth associated with individuals who owned horses, animals that were and are very expensive to maintain in this part of the continent.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Equestrian Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.98.1