The Artemision Jockey

A separate post for my favourite sculpture in the Archaeological Museum of Athens,

Horse and Young Jockey, known as the Artemision Jockey, 140 BC, Bronze.

Retrieved in pieces from the shipwreck off Cape Artemision in Evia.

Some parts are missing, such as the rider's whip and reins, and the horse's bridle. The horse and its rider are rendered realistically, as if captured as the horse springs away in mid-gallop with its rear feet on the ground and its front legs raised.

Strong sense of movement and urgency

 

The horse is approximately life-size and dwarfs its jockey, a boy only 84 centimetres tall and perhaps 10 years old. The boy rides bareback without a saddle. He wears sandals and a short chiton (a draped garment held on the shoulder)  and looks back over his left shoulder.