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Wall Plaque (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

ca. 550 BC
Phrygian
Ceramics
Medals and Plaques
polychromed terracotta
Ancient Art
Overall: 14 × 17 1/4 × 6 7/8 in. (35.56 × 43.82 × 17.46 cm)
78.62.5
Not on view

The rider and griffin on this mold-made plaque are part of a frieze that once adorned a wooden structure in Phrygia (in modern Turkey), a region that in antiquity had deep cultural ties to the Greek world. The griffin—a fantastical beast with a lion’s body, an eagle’s head, and snake’s tail—developed in Near Eastern art and became a popular motif throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The painted details on this plaque include the horse’s brand, reins, and decorated harness. The triangles beneath the rider indicate a saddle cloth, which many riders used before the invention of the saddle.

Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
"The Horse in Ancient Greek Art," VMFA, February 17 – July 8, 2018

Spotlight Loan, Piedmont Fine Arts Center, Martinsville, VA, January 9 – March 2, 1989.
May 1978 (Summa Galleries Inc., Beverly Hills); purchased by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond; accessioned into VMFA collection May 10, 1978. [1]

[1] Information in VMFA Curatorial and Registration records.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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