Centaur
Unknown Artist
17th century
Medium
Bronze, colored marble base
Dimensions
Overall: 5 × 5 3/8 in. (12.7 × 13.7 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Bronze
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Ogden Mills, 1925
Accession Number
25.142.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze *Centaur*, crafted by an unknown Italian artist in the 17th century captures the mythical half-human, half-horse figure from ancient Greek lore, reimagined in the vibrant artistic traditions of Baroque Italy. Standing just 5 × 5 3/8 inches (12.7 × 13.7 cm) tall on its colorful marble base, this small-scale sculpture was likely designed as a luxurious tabletop ornament for a collector's cabinet of curiosities, blending classical mythology with Renaissance revivalism. Bronze casting, a demanding lost-wax technique perfected in Italy since antiquity, allowed for intricate d...