Unknown
Roman

Head of a Horse, 1st c. CE
marble
15 1/2 x 19 x 6 1/2 in.

SBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
1978.4.11

COMMENTS

This head is worked in the round, indicating that the fragment once belonged to a free-standing statue, not a relief. Roman patrons frequently commissioned equestrian statues, and in view of the Roman character of the workmanship, this head may be considered to have belonged to one of these. The modeling of the SBMA horse head with the realistically rendered eyes and all the subtle nuances in the treatment of the muscles, veins, and sinews suggest a proto-type later than the 4-th century BC. The carving of the horse trappings directly in stone, rather than attaching them in metal, is rarely found until the 3rd century BC. On stylistic grounds, and by the type of trappings, comparison can be made with a bronze equestrian statuette of Alexander the Great discovered near Naples. The Santa Barbara head may be derived from such a Hellenistic proto-type, and is certainly of Roman execution, probably of the lst century CE.

The head is broken from the base of the cheek diagonally across to the back of the neck. The ears are missing, as is the entire nose or muzzle from near the beginning of the mouth. All the broken areas have been smoothed over and further worked with a pointed chisel in preparation for restoration, signs of which are present in the dowel holes set into the smooth areas. Beyond the ears a square metal dowel is still visible. Parts of the bridle have been chipped away and repaired. The rosette at the left cheek is a restoration. Some pitting and abrasions are present throughout the surface.

- Mario A. Del Chiaro, Classical Art and Sculpture, SBMA Catalog, p. 57