DOGON, WOOD HORSEMAN 12, 38.75", $1500, Mali
These carved wooden equestrian figures express status, prestige and power. They would bring honor to the ancestors, the current leadership and the owner of the sculpture. Although rare, horsemen as icon have existed for 1000 years in Mali. Some would depict a hogon, the supreme officeholder, a semi-divine leader of great wisdom, or even a mythological emissary from a distant land. Many would be depicted as warriors.