Statuette of a Rider
about 550 B.C.
The valuable material and lively execution of this youthful, exuberant horseman distinguish this small bronze rider. The matching horse he once rode has been lost, but examples are known from similar contexts. The figure is dressed in a short tunic decorated with a zig-zag pattern around the neck. He may originally have worn a hat atop his flattened head. His leg muscles arch in response to the movement of the horse as he guides the reins to his right.
Like most Greek bronzes statuettes, this example was originally dedicated in a sanctuary as a votive offering to a deity. The figure is similar in costume, pose, and style to a rider found in the Sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona in northern Greece. However, details of this work’s manufacture may link it to a bronze workshop in Corinth. Bronze statuettes were produced in large quantities by many workshops and could be destined for any number of sanctuaries. Corinth was an important center for bronzeworking in the middle of the 6th century B.C., and it was a likely place for a wealthy aristocrat to commission a votive piece that would reflect his energy and status as a horseman.
Like most Greek bronzes statuettes, this example was originally dedicated in a sanctuary as a votive offering to a deity. The figure is similar in costume, pose, and style to a rider found in the Sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona in northern Greece. However, details of this work’s manufacture may link it to a bronze workshop in Corinth. Bronze statuettes were produced in large quantities by many workshops and could be destined for any number of sanctuaries. Corinth was an important center for bronzeworking in the middle of the 6th century B.C., and it was a likely place for a wealthy aristocrat to commission a votive piece that would reflect his energy and status as a horseman.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)