Equestrian · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3040717
not available anymore
Provenance
René Rasmussen, Paris, FranceJan Lundberg, Malmö, Sweden
Size
H: 53 cm
H: 20.9 inch
Description
wood, dark brown patina, remains of pigments, figure and animal disproportionate proportioned, min. dam., missing parts (right forearm and hand), cracks, traces of abrasion;
the equestrian figures are called “syonfolo”, which roughly means “master of the horse”. They were part of the soothsayers objects and were made in reminiscence of the equestrian hordes of Samori Touré once depredating and destructing the Senufos land and villages. Nowadays hardly anyone remembers this painful time, but the Senufo combined horse and rider with power, violence and with a claim to leadership for quite a long time.