Anatomical figure, of horse

This is a reduced copy of the anatomical horse formerly in the Villa Mattei in Rome. It was made in Rome in the late 18th or 19th century.

The Mattei horse was based on the equestrian statue of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius on the Capitoline in Rome and was believed to be a classical work in the eighteenth century.

Many small-scale copies of classical sculptures were produced in Italy in the eighteenth century. They reflect the genuine interest in certain works, but also implicitly acknowledge the shortage of good antiquities on the art market. Reduced copies of classical and modern sculptures were being made in Florence in the early eighteenth century but a much wider selection was available in Rome between around 1760 and 1810. A number of Roman foundries were engaged in making miniature replicas of classical sculptures which could be placed on chimney pieces or furniture.

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