Marino Marini

Attilio Bacci Collection, Milan

Seoul, South Korea, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Tradition and Innovation: Italian Art Since 1945, 1995-96, illustrated in the catalogue

Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, Patrick Waldberg & Herbert Read, Marino Marini, Complete Works, New York, 1970, p. 359, no. 251, illustration of another variation
Carlo Pirovano, Marino Marini Scultore, Milan, 1972, no. 257, illustration of another example
Marino Marini, Sculture, pitture, disegni, dal 1914 al 1977 (exhibition catalogue), Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 1983, no. 69, illustration of another variation p. 128
Marco Meneguzzo, Marino Marini Cavalli e Cavalieri, Milan, 1997, no. 46, illustration of another variation p. 217
Fondazione Marino Marini, ed., Marino Marini: Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculptures, Milan, 1998, no. 325, illustration of another variation p. 229

Very good condition. Some plaster residue in crevices and on bottom that seem to be inherent to the artist's process. Some gold flecks are visible on figure's back and in numerous places around bottom of horse and crevices which may or may not be inherent to the artist's process. Minor surface dirt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The subject-matter of the horse and rider dominated Marini's work from the 1930s onwards. While paintings, sculptures and works on paper treating this theme abound in his oeuvre, the present work is a rare example executed in ceramic. Marini paid this exquisite work the same attention devoted to his bronzes, which rarely left the foundry without his direct intervention on the surface and patina. Likewise, despite being cast in an edition of four, the vibrantly colored Piccolo Cavaliere is uniquely painted and glazed.

Marini's exploration of the equestrian subject emphasizes his links with a great tradition of sculpture, from the Horses of San Marco in Venice to the triumphant portrait of Marcus Aurelius in Rome.  However, Marini's horses and riders signal a departure from the bombastic and politically motivated equestrian models of his predecessors as they are the embodiment of a new, raw, elemental force. Marini explained: "The nature of the relations that have existed for so long between men and horses... has been greatly changed during the last half century... it can even be said that, for the majority of our contemporaries, the horse has acquired a mythical character. Every artist is in some way a prophet...with Odilon Redon, Picasso and de Chirico, the horse has been transformed into a kind of dream, into a fabulous animal" (quoted in Patrick Waldberg, Herbert Read & G. di San Lazzaro, op. cit., New York, 1970, p. 491).

 

Another view of the present work