Pair of large patinated bronze Marly horses after Coustou

Each patinated bronze model in this pair portrays a rearing horse restrained by a semi-clad male attendant, the horse and attendant set above a naturalistically cast base. The groups are based on the celebrated sculpted marbles by Guillaume Coustou, which were originally commissioned for the gardens at the Chateau de Marly in 1739 by King Louis XV. They were subsequently moved by the Neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David to the entrance of the Champs Élysées in Paris in 1794 and are today housed in the collections of the Musée du Louvre. Coustou’s famed rearing horses restrained by grooms are among the most important and influential sculptures created in the 18th century and were recreated in a variety of sizes and materials throughout the 19th Century and into the 20th Century.