Jockey of Artemision

Ancient Greek The Jockey of Artemision shows a young boy urging his horse forward at full gallop, both figures captured in explosive motion. Created around 150 BCE, this Hellenistic bronze was recovered in pieces from the same shipwreck that yielded the Artemision Bronze. The horse and rider form one of antiquity's most dynamic sculptures.

The boy's face shows intense concentration and strain, his small body barely controlling the powerful horse beneath him. The animal's veins bulge with effort, and its mouth opens around a now-missing bit. Racing was a dangerous sport, and jockeys were often slaves or lower-class boys whose lives mattered less than the valuable horses they rode.

The reassembled group is displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.