Marcus Aurelius on horseback

The small bronze statue is a scaled-down version of the renowned equestrian monument of Marcus Aurelius located in Rome. The horse maintains an identical pose, with its right front leg elevated and hind legs in a trot, its head slightly turned to the right, and its bridle embellished with two bullae on each side (at eye level and on the bit). The rider adopts a similar posture and physiognomy, characterized by a beard and curly hair, akin to the original statue.
There are several distinctions compared to the statue in the Campidoglio: the horse’s tail is more gathered, ribbons are wrapped around the hindquarters and chest of the steed, and the collar’s shape differs. Additionally, the rider’s right hand and foot are elevated higher, the drapery falling over the saddle appears longer, and the head looks straight ahead rather than slightly to the right, as seen in the Roman bronze (Santangelo 1954, 50; Sommella, Parisi Presicce 1997, 38, n. 19). Additionally, the statuette is less refined in areas such as the mane, the shoes, and the coat of the steed. There is no evidence of cold working. The right side of the composition appears somewhat sketchy, uncertain, and incomplete, with the emperor's left arm entirely missing. However, Ludovico Pollak and Alfredo Barsanti regarded the bronze statuette as one of the most accurate reproductions of the Capitoline monument. Its fidelity to the original makes it challenging to determine its authorship, which might have originated from workshops in Florence during the mid-sixteenth century (Pollak 1922, 103, n. 69). Pietro Cannata confirmed the attribution and noted the differences with the monument. He suggested that the statuette may have been created based on the numerous graphic reproductions of Marcus Aurelius on horseback circulating during the Renaissance, rather than through direct study of the Roman bronze. According to Cannata, the artist had access to only one view of the monument, which could explain both the modifications and the varying levels of finish between the two sides of the bronze (Cannata 2011, 74, cat. 78).
The Capitoline bronze has consistently enjoyed exceptional and uninterrupted popularity since its creation. Although it has often been erroneously associated with figures such as Constantine, Theodoric, Marcus or Quintus Curtius, or even the “great farmer” of medieval legend, it has continually maintained its public significance and has become a prominent element of cultural identity. The relocation ordered by Pope Paul III in 1536 and executed by Michelangelo significantly elevated its renown, leading patrons throughout Italy and Europe to desire scaled reproductions of the monument for their collections or workspaces (Gramaccini 1985, 51–83).
Bronze artists from Tuscany, Veneto, and Rome facilitated the distribution of small bronze statues featuring this subject. In the nineteenth century, scholars including Leo Planiscig, Hans Robert Weihrauch, and Jolán Balogh worked on identifying all examples and variants from the sixteenth century that relate to the statuette discussed here (Planiscig 1924, 138–139; Weihrauch 1956, 128–129; Balogh 1966, 324–330, note 4).

Marco Scansani

Entry published on 12 June 2025

Good.

Rome, Collezione Alfredo Barsanti, 1934;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 1934.

Pollak Ludwig, Raccolta Alfredo Barsanti, Roma 1922;
Planiscig Leo, Die Bronzeplastiken: Statuetten, Reliefs, Geräte und Plaketten. Katalog mit den Abbildungen sämtlicher Stücke, Wien 1924;
Santangelo Antonino (a cura di), Museo di Palazzo Venezia. Catalogo delle sculture, Roma 1954;
Weihrauch Hans Robert, Die Bildwerke in Bronze und in anderen Metallen, mit einem Anhang: Die Bronzebildwerke des Residenzmuseums, Bruckmann, München 1956;
Balogh Jolán, Studi sulla collezione di sculture del Museo di belle arti di Budapest, in «Acta historiae artium Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae Magyar Tudományos Akadémia», XII, 1966, pp. 211-346;
Gramaccini, in Beck Herbert, Blume Dieter (a cura di), Natur und Antike in der Renaissance, catalogo della mostra (Francoforte sul Meno, Liebieghaus, 5 dicembre 1985-2 marzo 1986), Frankfurt am Main 1985, pp. 51-83;
Sommella Anna, Parisi Presicce Claudio, Il Marco Aurelio e la sua copia, Cinisello Balsamo 1997;
Cannata Pietro, Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia. Sculture in bronzo, Roma 2011.