Object Description
Pair of very large patinated bronze Marly horses with marble pedestals
French, 19th Century
Horses: Height 76cm, width 60cm, depth 32cm
Pedestals: Height 92cm, width 65cm, depth 36cm
These superb horses are unusually large examples of so-called Marly Horses—models after Guillaume Coustou’s early 18th Century marble sculptures of rearing horses executed for the Château de Marly in France, now on display in Louvre Museum in Paris. The present pair are of patinated bronze, each one situated on a superb green marble pedestal. Each horse, superbly formed and finished, is attended by a male groom who attempts to restrain his rearing steed. The sculptures are wonderful examples of the type, the originals proving to be exceptionally popular prototypes later 19th Century sculpture.