Terracotta statuette of a horse

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In ancient Greece, horses were a reflection of status and wealth. They were expensive to maintain, requiring extensive land and upkeep. Thus, statuettes of horses were common dedications in sanctuaries, especially in the Geometric period. They appear in both terracotta and bronze, and in various forms. Some terracotta horse statuettes were dedicated individually, while others were attached to the lids of pyxides (boxes) as handles. The treatment of the feet of this horse makes it likely that the piece was freestanding.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art