Horse Head from the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
Date: 175 AD
Medium: Bronze
Location: Capitoline Museums, Rome

This intricately cast bronze horse head, once part of the grand equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, captures the power and elegance of Roman imperial sculpture.

Created around 175 AD, the full statue originally stood in the Roman Forum but was later moved and preserved thanks to a mistaken identity—believed during the Middle Ages to represent the Christian emperor Constantine, it escaped being melted down.

The surviving horse head, now housed in the Capitoline Museums, exemplifies the technical mastery and lifelike realism achieved by Roman artisans, showcasing the controlled strength and noble bearing appropriate for an emperor’s steed.