Bronze Torso from an Equestrian Statue in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2007

Bronze torso from an equestrian statue wearing a cuirass
Greek or Roman, Hellenistic or Imperial, 2nd century BC- 2nd century AD

Accession # 2003.407.7

The pose of this fragmentary torso suggests that the figure, who wears a short cape and an ornate cuirass of Hellenistic type, was originally riding a rearing horse, the left hand holding the reins while the right wielded a weapon. Dynamic equestrian bronze statues have a long tradition in Hellenistic and Roman art, stemming from Lysippos' famous group showing Alexander the Great on horseback , which commemorates the Macedonian leader's first major victory over the Persians at the Granikos River.

Text exerpted from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.