Statuette of a Horse
750-730 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
9.2 × 8.2 × 2.6 cm (3 5/8 × 3 1/4 × 1 in.)
Classification
votive offering
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
237363
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This small statuette was created in Greece around the time of the first Olympic games (776 BCE). It was made as a gift for a god and was probably deposited at a religious site. Devotional gifts took many forms, but statuettes of horses were especially popular because the creatures were symbols of affluence. Following the stylistic preference of the time, the sculptor used a few simple shapes to capture the animal’s essence.
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...