The Herculaneum Quadriga Horse "Cavallo Mazzocchi" After Antiquity

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THE CAVALLO MAZZOCCHI (AFTER THE HERCULANEUM QUADRIGA HORSE)
Italy, circa second half of the 19th century
Verdigris patinated bronze, one … Read more THE CAVALLO MAZZOCCHI (AFTER THE HERCULANEUM QUADRIGA HORSE)
Italy, circa second half of the 19th century
Verdigris patinated bronze, one foot raised on polished brass plinth, situated over polished translucent onyx base

22 3/8" H x 19" W x 8 3/8" D

A unusually fine cast bronze reduction of the celebrated Cavallo Mazzocchi, one of the pair of ancient equestrian bronzes discovered in 1739 at Herculaneum. Known collectively as the Horses of Herculaneum or the Quadriga Horses, the group originally formed part of a monumental four-horse chariot that once adorned a public building in the Vesuvian city. Upon discovery, the bronzes were removed to the Royal Palace at Portici and became a sensation among Grand Tour travelers, admired for their animation, anatomical force, and rarity as large-scale survivals of antiquity.

In the mid-18th century, the Neapolitan sculptor Francesco Paderni (Italian, 1728–1816) created detailed bronze reductions of one of the pair, later known as the Cavallo Mazzocchi after the antiquarian Celestino Mazzocchi. Paderni’s models were disseminated across Europe and found a home in both royal and scholarly collections - they were instrumental in shaping Enlightenment-era understanding of classical equestrian sculpture. They became enduring points of reference for artists and collectors throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

The present example was cast in the second half of the 19th century, acting as a fine replication of Paderni Camillo’s model. Possibly executed by the Chiurazzi foundry, one of the only foundries authorized to make casts of the holdings within the Museo Nazionale di Napoli (now the Museo Archeologico Nazionale). Chiurazzi secured exclusive rights to mold and cast directly from the museum’s unparalleled holdings of ancient bronzes, including the celebrated finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The model is depicted in Chiurazzi's 1910 catalogue as no. 4909 and titled Cheval de la quadrige de Néron with a height of both 56 cm and 22 cm, offered in Herculanum patina for 200 francs and a "Moderne" patina for 250 francs.

Note the extraordinary attention to detail in the sculpture - it is a truly superior cast. The sculpture was very carefully restored and repatinated in a verdigris surface, raised on a newly selected translucent onyx and a machined polished-brass plinth was fabricated for beneath the horse's raised leg, the result placing the model equally balanced between antiquity and modernism visually.

A relatively scarce model on the open market. See Christie's, London, 5 December 2013 lot 22 for an early 19th century example of identical dimension (achieved 35,000 GBP). For a Chiurazzi example, see Christie's, London, 26 January 2007 lot 1050, which achieved 14,400 GBP (approx. $ 28,200 USD at the time of sale).

Literature: Herculaneum, Italy's Buried Treasure, J.J. Deiss, 1985, p. 158-159

Condition: Carefully restored: stress seams in legs braised, repatinated in verdigris to match the earliest surface uncovered during restoration after grime was removed; new polished brass plinth fabricated for beneath horse's upraised foot). We have the original broken marble base, threaded posts and nuts as well as the original plinth for beneath the upraised foot retained and available upon request. A very fine presentation.

ref. 501GEI30X See less