SculptureItalic6th century

Fragment of architectural frieze plaque: armed riders (from frieze depicting procession of armed riders)

c. 520 BCE

Description

Fragment of a molded terracotta plaque, broken on all sides. Flat on the back. A great deal of brown dirt or accretion in the crevices. Two armed riders on horses (two, though the second, further-away horse is only visible at its neck and the top of its head) face left; the two pairs overlap, with the frontmost rider and horse blocking most of the backmost pair. The second, further-away horse is “behind”—i.e., to the right, of the frontmost horse; the second rider is “in front” of the frontmost rider—i.e., to the left. The frontmost rider holds a round shield in front of his body. He wears a helmet with large cheek pieces and an upward projecting element on the front; the top of the helmet is not fully preserved. His left arm, wearing a short sleeve, projects behind him; it is broken at or before the elbow. He wears greaves (which are worn and difficult to ascertain). His heel is preserved but his foot is otherwise broken off. The broken edge of the fragment runs from under the round shield to the rider’s heel. The second rider wears a helmet or a cap (broken off at top); it is not easy to discern a cheek piece on the fragment (though other examples of this scene suggest that he wears a helmet with a cheekpiece). The frontmost horse’s ears stand up, as does its hogged mane. The horse’s bridle is visible only faintly. Also faintly visible are reins (as a thin molded line) that run from the horse’s head (the forepart of which is lost at the break), across its neck, to behind the rider’s shield. To the right of the horse’s mane, a right hand holds a linear element; comparison with other examples from this mold indicates that this element is a whip. This hand may belong to the second (further-away) rider.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Italic

Period

Archaic period

Century

6th century