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Hellenistic Greek Horseman Relief Plaque sculpture Reproduction
Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Date: 1st century B.C.
Period: Hellenistic
Our plaque is a faithful reproduction of a Greek relief sculpture of a pacing horse and nude rider
(1st century B.C.) in the Museum’s collection. Of particular note on the original is the sensitive
surface texture and anatomical detail of the subject. These characteristics were typical of relief
sculptures during the Hellenistic period in Greece, where lavish ornamentation took precedence
over the visual unity of sculptural works. The original relief may be a copy of one that was well-
known in antiquity, for two other relief sculptures show an almost identical horseman followed by
another rider on a horse with the same pacing gait. The Hellenistic period spanned the three
centuries between the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.) and the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.).
During this time, royal families in Greece and the Near East lived in splendid palaces with
elaborate banquet halls and sumptuously decorated rooms and gardens. Court festivals and
symposia held in the royal palaces provided opportunities for lavish displays of wealth. Hellenistic
kings became prominent patrons of the arts, commissioning public works of architecture and
sculpture, as well as private luxury items that demonstrated their wealth and taste.
Item No. S146
Cast stone. Height 17 1/2 in., length 12 1/2 in., depth 1 3/4 in. Includes two closed-hooks on
reverse for hanging.
$299.00
Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Date: 1st century B.C.
Period: Hellenistic
Our plaque is a faithful reproduction of a Greek relief sculpture of a pacing horse and nude rider
(1st century B.C.) in the Museum’s collection. Of particular note on the original is the sensitive
surface texture and anatomical detail of the subject. These characteristics were typical of relief
sculptures during the Hellenistic period in Greece, where lavish ornamentation took precedence
over the visual unity of sculptural works. The original relief may be a copy of one that was well-
known in antiquity, for two other relief sculptures show an almost identical horseman followed by
another rider on a horse with the same pacing gait. The Hellenistic period spanned the three
centuries between the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.) and the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.).
During this time, royal families in Greece and the Near East lived in splendid palaces with
elaborate banquet halls and sumptuously decorated rooms and gardens. Court festivals and
symposia held in the royal palaces provided opportunities for lavish displays of wealth. Hellenistic
kings became prominent patrons of the arts, commissioning public works of architecture and
sculpture, as well as private luxury items that demonstrated their wealth and taste.
Item No. S146
Cast stone. Height 17 1/2 in., length 12 1/2 in., depth 1 3/4 in. Includes two closed-hooks on
reverse for hanging.
$299.00
