Boeotia, 1st half 6th century BC.

Light brown clay with painting ranging from rust-red to dark brown. The hand-modelled statuette shows a rider on horseback in a highly stylized depiction, sitting upright. The arms are shortened and wide open; the legs are not shown at all. The execution of the horse is also limited to the essential features. This type of depiction is typical of equestrian figures from the Archaic period in Boeotia and is documented by numerous examples. Statuettes of this kind were a symbol of social status and prosperity, as horses were considered a form of wealth in ancient Greece.

Cf.: R. A. Higgins, Terracottas in the British Museum, Vol. I, No. 770, 782-786. Antiken aus Rheinischem Privatbesitz, Cologne 1973, plate 116, no. 258. F. W. Hamdorf, Hauch des Prometheus, Antikensammlungen München, 1996, Nr. 74, 75.

Dimension: length: 13 cm, width: 4 cm, height: 9,6 cm

Condition: Intact and very well preserved.

Provenance: German private collection, since 1980.