Detail of a Fragmentary Equestrian from Niger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2020

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)

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.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/736505