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Lot Essay
A duplicate photo-certificate signed by Maria Teresa Tosi from the Fondazione Marino Marini dated Pistoia, 3 September 1987 accompanies this work.
After Marini turned to sculpture in 1928 his works were almost exclusively limited to two themes" the female figure and the horse and rider. Herbert Read wrote that the latter "is a symbol of man riding and controlling his instincts, the horse being the symbol of the animal component in man, often specifically the erotic instincts" (H. Read, P. Waldberg and G. di San Lazzaro, Marino Marini, Complete Works, New York, 1970, p. 11).
Piccolo cavaliere is a strong example of Marini's active involvement in the finishing of his sculptures, and his particular interest in the effect of the chased surface and the different patinas applied to it. The rigid position of the horse and rider contrasts the lively surface of the bronze, creating an energetic tension typical of the artist's work.
After Marini turned to sculpture in 1928 his works were almost exclusively limited to two themes" the female figure and the horse and rider. Herbert Read wrote that the latter "is a symbol of man riding and controlling his instincts, the horse being the symbol of the animal component in man, often specifically the erotic instincts" (H. Read, P. Waldberg and G. di San Lazzaro, Marino Marini, Complete Works, New York, 1970, p. 11).
Piccolo cavaliere is a strong example of Marini's active involvement in the finishing of his sculptures, and his particular interest in the effect of the chased surface and the different patinas applied to it. The rigid position of the horse and rider contrasts the lively surface of the bronze, creating an energetic tension typical of the artist's work.