Boeotian Terracotta Horse and Rider

Culture: Greek/Boeotian

Period: 6th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 9.2 cm x 10.3 cm

Price: Sold

Ref: 2550

Provenance: German private collection J. Gutbrod (died in 2017), acquired between the 1960s to the 1990s on the German art market. Thence by inheritance to Micaela Gutbrod, Munich, Germany.

Condition: A small restoration on the left front leg of the horse, otherwise very beautifully preserved.

Description: Stylized terracotta statuette of a horse with rider. The animal with legs stretched out while running, a raised and downwards curved tail and a raised, pointy mane. The body is decorated with vertical, legs, head and tail are decorated with horizontal red-brown lines. The also stylized rider has his long arms placed on the head of the animal. His legs are wrapped around the belly. The head is flat and small. Statues such as the present one originate from a period, when the possession of a horse is associated with a high social ranking. They were found in tombs but also in temples. See for the type the example in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, inventory number Antikensammlung V 1798.