Cypriot Terracotta Horse and Rider in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2010

Title: Terracotta horse and rider

Medium; Technique: Terracotta; hand-made

Culture: Cypriot

Period: Early Cypro-Archaic II

Date: ca. 600 B.C.

Dimensions: H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)

Classification: Terracottas

Credit Line: The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76

Accession Number: 74.51.1778


Description:

The rider here is a warrior equipped with crested helmet and shield. The horse has a topknot, thick tail, and tasseled frontlet on its chest. These features are characteristic of the horses from Kourion that have been found in great number at the sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. Warrior iconography was particularly suitable for a male divinity.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/greek_...