TOP
Original at the Delphi Museum
The bronze hollow casting statue known as the charioteer of Delphi dates from the early classical period (478-474 BC), which is also called the austere style.
This work of art is an offering from Polyzalos, the tyrant of Gela (in Sicily) for the Apollo Shrine of Delphi on the occasion of his victory in the chariot race. Not only is it one of the few original Greek bronze sculptures ever preserved, it is also one of the best preserved.
This figure originally steered a quadriga, a two-wheeled carriage drawn by four horses. She is dressed in a sleeveless chiton, an undergarment of linen or wool, worn and always girded by men and women. There's a headband on the head. The eyes are inlaid.
The team of four and the charioteer themselves were buried in the landslide caused by an earthquake in 373 AD. Nothing has been preserved of horses and wagons. Buried by the landslide, it was preserved for posterity and was not melted down for weapons like many other bronze statues.
The statue was found near the Apollo shrine in Delphi in 1896.
The original of this bronze hollow cast statue is 1.80 m high and an exhibit of the Delphi Museum under inventory number 3485.
Replica reduction made of ceramine (high-strength special gypsum) in bronze finish.
This product was added to our catalog on Monday, February 3, 2014.