Pair of French Bronze Models of Marly Horses.

$3,800.00

Item Number: 148155

Bronze sculpture models of French Marly horses. Two bronze sculptures of rearing horses with their grooms modeled after Guillaume Coustou’s horse statues for the Château de Marly. In fine condition. The pieces measure 12 inches by 16 inches. A handsome example.

The Marly Horses, sculpted by Guillaume Coustou the Elder in the 18th century, are a pair of monumental marble statues originally commissioned for the Château de Marly, the private retreat of Louis XV. These dynamic sculptures depict rearing horses restrained by their grooms, showcasing Coustou’s mastery of movement and anatomical precision. Influenced by classical antiquity, particularly the Hellenistic Horse Tamers of the Quirinal in Rome, the Marly Horses exemplify the Baroque fascination with dramatic tension and naturalistic expression. After the French Revolution, they were relocated to the Place de la Concorde at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées and later preserved in the Louvre, where they remain celebrated as masterpieces of French equestrian sculpture.