In 1928, and again in 1937, parts of a large-scale bronze horse and nearly complete jockey were recovered from the sea off Cape Artemision in Greece, where they had gone down in a shipwreck. These original Hellenistic sculptures, known together as the "Horse and Jockey Group from Artemision," are among the very few surviving bronze sculptures from antiquity. Seán Hemingway has been allowed by the National Museum in Athens to investigate the horse and jockey statuary group as no one ever has before, and in this book, combining archaeological and art historical methods of investigation, he provides the first in-depth study of this rare and beautiful monument. New technical analyses of the statues by Helen Andreopoulou-Mangou form an appendix to the volume.

Hemingway begins with an introduction to Hellenistic bronze statuary and what we know about this extraordinary class of ancient sculpture. He then recounts with riveting detail the discovery and painstaking restoration of the statue group, describing the technique of its creation and carefully reviewing scholarly knowledge and speculation about it. He also provides a valuable compendium of what is known about ancient Greek horse racing, the most prestigious and splendid of all Greek sports. After a full consideration of all the available evidence, he speculates further about the work’s original meaning and function. His study provides a glimpse of the excellence achieved by Hellenistic bronze sculptors, and it will become the definitive resource on this unique sculpture from ancient Greece.

List of Illustrations
Preface

1. Hellenistic Bronze Statuary: An Introduction
2. An Early Underwater Rescue Excavation
3. Technical Analysis
4. Questions of Style and Identification
5. Ancient Greek Horse Racing
6. Conclusions

Appendix: Chemical Analysis of the Horse and Jockey Group from Artemision in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, by Helen Andreopoulou-Mangou
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Seán Hemingway is Associate Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

"This is the first thorough treatment of the well-known Horse and Jockey from Artemision. Never before has the full story of the underwater rescue been told; nor has the history of the group's conservation been published. The fascinating early restoration drawings and early photographs are all published here, many for the first time. Hemingway's up-to-date technical analysis, combined with his analysis of style and iconography and his discussion of ancient horse racing, make his book fundamental for all who wish to study this statue group. Indeed, with its attention to discovery, conservation, technique, historiography, and style, the book will serve as a model for future scholarship on ancient sculpture."—Carol Mattusch, author of Classical Bronzes: The Art and Craft of Greek and Roman Statuary