Statuette of a Horse

Sculptors of the Geometric period were not interested in a naturalistic rendering of form; they chose instead to present figures by emphasizing certain parts of their anatomy. The exaggerated long legs of this horse call attention to its speed and mobility and serve to summarize its "horseness." Typical of small bronzes made in Greece in the 700s B.C., this statuette is a graceful, schematic rendering of a horse with little attention to surface detail. The perforated base indicates that the figure was made in southern Greece, perhaps in Lakonia. The 700s B.C. saw the rise of the great Greek sanctuaries like Olympia. Bronze statuettes were a favorite dedication to the gods, and horses were by far the favorite subject for these dedications; they are found in every sanctuary of this period. Greece had a pastoral economy at this time, which may explain the choice of horses and cattle, the second favorite subject, as offerings to the gods. Because they required extensive land and upkeep, horses were expensive to own and became symbols of wealth and power.