Horse

This small bronze horse would have been deposited as a votive offering to the gods a Greek sanctuary. Though the offerings vary in what they depict, representations of horses were the most common. Horses were status symbols in Geometric Greece, as they not only required extensive land, but were also used in both warfare and chariot races, which commonly took place at sanctuaries. The horse itself is rendered abstractly, with elongated straight legs, a broad neck, a narrow midsection, and a curved cylindrical nose. It stands on a rectangular base with zig-zag designs in relief. Decorated base plates, common during the later part of the eighth century BCE, served as stands but could have also been used as some kind of early stamp or seal.

In spite of their relatively simple forms and small scale, considerable technical skill was required for the manufacture of these figurines, which most often occurred at the sanctuaries themselves. Devotees and worshippers could then purchase them on site and place them on view.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Elie Borowski, Basel [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1953, by purchase.