Getty Museum

Statuette of a Horse

Date

750–700 B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The angular style of this horse is typical of small bronzes made in Greece in the 700s B.C. Short incised lines along the back of the neck indicate the mane, and lines on the head may represent a halter. Without a base, the horse rests on its four spatula-like hooves. Stylistic traits such as the rectangular shoulders and slender, curved legs suggest that it was made in Lokris in central Greece. The 700s B.C. saw the rise of the great Greek sanctuaries such as Olympia. In these new sanctuaries, bronze statuettes were a common dedication to the gods. Horses were by far the most prevalent subject for these dedications and are found in every sanctuary of this period. Because they were expensive to maintain, requiring extensive land and upkeep, horses became symbols of wealth and power in ancient Greece.

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