Four Sea Horses, Giovanni Francesco Rustici

Artwork Overview

Giovanni Francesco Rustici, Four Sea Horses
Giovanni Francesco Rustici, Four Sea Horses
Giovanni Francesco Rustici
Four Sea Horses
circa early 1500s
Four Sea Horses, circa early 1500s
Where object was made: Italy
Material/technique: terracotta
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 42.5 x 57 x 40 cm not including base
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 16 3/4 x 22 7/16 x 15 3/4 in
Credit line: Gift from the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection
Accession number: 1960.0058
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Empire of Things," 2013, Kate Meyer Biting and thrashing amidst rolling waves, these four fantastical equine creatures engage in a frantic struggle to the death. The mythic hippocamp, or seahorse in English, featured in Greek, Phoenician, and later Etruscan mythology. Associated with water, hippocampi appealed to European artists from the Renaissance and later periods as dramatic subjects for marine themes and projects. Possibly a sculptural model for a public or private fountain, this terracotta bozzetto conveys not only the physical vigor but also the psychological intensity of the battling hybrid beasts.