Eastern Europe, Northern Greece, Roman period, Thrace, ca. 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE. A finely cast bronze horse and rider. This beautiful piece depicts the two on an integral base with four peg feet. The horse stands with its right foreleg raised, head alert and turned slightly to the right. The rider gestures to one side. Both the horse and rider are nicely detailed with many cold-worked details. Size: 2.05" L x 1.4" W x 2.75" H (5.2 cm x 3.6 cm x 7 cm)

This is an example of a Thracian horseman (also known as the Thracian Rider or the Thracian Heros), a recurring motif that persists from the Hellenistic period into the Roman period in the region of Thrace. These figures are often depicted on the funerary stelae of lower and middle class Roman cavalrymen; they seem to refer to a specific cult of Heros, which was based in Philippi and whose name is often accompanied by the epithets "soter" (savior) and "answerer of prayers" (epekoos).

Provenance: Ex-Private Orange County, CA collection acquired in the 1980's

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#118884

Light patina overall but shape is excellent.