Object Description
Known as the ‘Olympic Rider’, this patinated bronze group of a man upon a horse is by the German artist Heinrich Splieth. The design is simple yet restrained and refined: an ideal man portrayed in the nude, holding a laurel wreath, is seated on a horse. He is triumphant, his posture, gestures, and countenance carrying classical connotations, a theme highlighted by the wreath he holds. The rider, victorious, symbolises victory. The bronze is signed to the base with ‘Splieth’.