Getty Museum
Rearing Horse
Creator
Adriaen de VriesDutch Artist · 1556–1626
All works by this person →Adriaen de Vries' career epitomizes the internationalism of the late Mannerist period. He was born in The Hague, trained in Italy, and worked mainly in Prague. His is the time-honored tradition of the itinerant artist, working for many of Europe's most discerning royal patrons. Little is known about de Vries until 1581, when he was an assistant in Giambologna's Florentine workshop. There he traine
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- 1605–1610
- Medium
- Bronze
- Culture
- Dutch
- Department
- Sculpture
- Institution
- Getty Museum
This rearing horse's two rear legs, upon which he balances his powerful bulk, serve as the sole support for the body of this large animal. Pawing the air and tilting his head to the left, the horse electrifies the space around him. The sculptor Adriaen de Vries further suggested the animal's vitality through the open mouth, flaring nostrils, and protruding veins on its belly. The horse's lack of shoes suggests that this is a stallion kept for stud. De Vries executed more than a dozen bronze statuettes of horses and horses with riders, only four of which survive or are securely identified. This is one of the rare signed ones. The horse's daring pose makes it a *tour de force* of bronze casting, and the beauty of its patina, or surface treatment, testifies to the artist's reputation as an exceptional bronzemaker.
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