Equestrian

3rd–10th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Horses were present in the southern Sahara (present-day Libya) by the first millennium B.C. The earliest physical evidence of horses in the Sahel ranges from a.d. 600 to 900. This rider, laden with bandoliers, necklaces, bracelets, and the elaborate harness and headdress of his mount, accompanied the burial of a high-ranking individual. Unearthed in a multitude of pieces, the work was reassembled. Man and horse are unified in a sinuous line, from the rider’s elongated arm to the horse’s dramatically attenuated muzzle.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Equestrian
Date: 3rd–10th century
Geography: Niger, Bura-Asinda-Sikka
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: (Approx.) H. 24 7/16 × W. 20 1/2 × D. 7 7/8 in. (62 × 52 × 20 cm)
Classification: Ceramics-Sculpture
Credit Line: Institut de Recherches en Sciences Humaines, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niger (BRK 85 AC 5e5)
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing