Horse
Culture: Ancient Greek
Date: 6th century BCE
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions:
5 1/8 × 5 7/8 × 2 1/4 in. (13 × 14.9 × 5.7 cm)
Classification: 3-D Object/Sculpture
Object number: CA 63100
Not on view
DescriptionTerracotta horse figure with brown-ish black glaze on surface. Horse has cylindrical legs and body, uplifted, tapering tail, and long neck with attached mane. Mended break between the face and the head just under the folded crest. Some small breaks on surface, including one area with white inclusions visible. Light reddish-brown clay.
EssayThis figure was made by hand and represents a horse. Although its archaeological provenience is unknown, it shares stylistic features with terracottas produced in Boeotia, Greece during the 6th century BCE. Terracotta horses from this period and region are decorated in a variety of schemes. This example is often described as black because of the dark-glazed decoration on its surface. Other varieties, similarly named for their decoration, are represented in the Menil Collection, including red-on-white (CA 6115) and black-on-brown (X 3114). Some had attached riders, but many others, such as the ones in the Menil Collection, represent solitary horses. The function of these figures could vary, but horses were socially and culturally important in the Archaic period (600–480 BCE), so they may have functioned as a symbol of wealth. Many excavated examples are also known from tombs.
Public Website: No