An exceptional, ancient horseman statue from one of the most prestigious bodies of statuary from the Inner Niger Delta. As horses are associated with themes of wealth, physical and spiritual elevation, visitation and elegance, horsemen represent power - political, military, legal and mystical (de Grunne, 2005, p. 23). Within this important corpus, this rider from the Blanpain Collection stands out for the richness of his harness and weaponry, as well as for the finesse of his ornaments (jewels and protective amulets), both sculpted in terracotta and drawn with rich polychromy. The figure's face, with its beard that identifies him as a great lord, is a remarkable example of classical Djenné art. Djenné civilization, Mali Date: 1200 - 1400 A.D. (ASA TL511284) Smooth beige terracotta, old restorations and visible light-colored chips, including thigh and right buttocks (original pieces), visible old chips, erosion from use, important and beautiful polychromy with red ochre motif. H. Height : 44 cm Provenance : - Kabiné Djanné, Abidjan, before 1968 - Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels - Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels Publications and Exhibitions : - Schaedler, Earth and Ore. 2500 Years of African Art in Terra-cotta and Metal, 1997, p. 54, no. 63, Burgrieden-Rot, Museum Villa Rot, June - November 1998 - Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa / L'Art tribal d'Afrique noire, 1998,cover, p. 58, n° #A Dulon and Leurquin, Objetos-Signos de Africa, 2000, n° 6, Zaragoza, Centro de Exposiciones y Congresos, April 11 - June 24, 2000 - Leurquin, "La piste du serpent" in Tribal Arts, Spring 1999, p. 67, n° 5 - Grunne (de), Dreams of beauty. African Sculptures from the Blanpain Collection, 2005, no. 16, Luxembourg, Banque Générale du Luxembourg, October 25 - December 2, 2005 - Grunne (de), Djenné-Jeno. 1000 ans de sculpture en terre cuite au Mali / Djenné-Jeno. 1000 years of terracotta statuary in Mali, 2014, no. 256 - Grunne (de) and Van Dyke, Mande. Trésors millénaires / Ancient treasures, 2016, p. 71, n° 16, Bruxelles, Ancienne Nonciature, June 8-12, 2016