Galerien Wilhelm Grosshennig, Düsseldorf
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above in April 1963. Sold: Christie's, New York, 4th November 2004, lot 331)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Kassel, II. Documenta: Kunst nach 1945, 1959, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue

Eduard Trier, Marino Marini, Cologne, 1954, no. 19, illustration of another cast
Helmut Lederer & Eduard Trier, Marino Marini, Stuttgart, 1961, no. 79, illustration of another cast
Giovanni Carandente, Marino Marini, Milan, 1966, illustration of another cast pl. X
Patrick Waldberg, Herbert Read & Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, Marino Marini, Complete Works, New York, 1970, no. 289, illustration of another cast p. 366
Carlo Pirovano, Marino Marini, Scultore, Milan, 1972, no. 300, illustrations of another cast pp. 110 & 164
Marino Marini, London, 1980, no. 142, illustration of another cast
Lorenzo Papi, Marino Marini - Impressioni di Lorenzo Papi, Ivrea, 1987, illustration of another cast
Carlo Pirovano (ed.), Marino Marini. Catalogo del Museo San Pancrazio di Florence, Milan, 1988, illustration of another cast pl. 140
Giovanni Iovane, Marino Marini, Milan, 1990, p. 91
Marco Meneguzzo, Marino Marini. Cavalli e cavalieri, Milan, 1997, no. 69, pp. 134-137
Fondazione Marino Marini (ed.), Marino Marini. Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculptures, Milan, ꦏ1998, no. 368b, illustration of another cast p. 257

Deep brown patina, hand-chiselled and painted in places by the artist. This work is in very good original condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Cavallo is a wonderfully dynamic variation on Marini's favourite theme of horses and riders, depicting the isolated figure of the animal after it had lost its rider. With the front of its body collapsing while its hind legs stand firmly grounded and upright, the horse is captured mid-fall. The pronounced diagonal of its figure and the backwards move of its head and elongated neck reflect the drama and tension of the moment. Furthermore, the extraordinary power and beauty of Cavallo lie in the careful rendering of its surface, showing thꦕe artist's characteristic hand-chiselling and painting of the bronze. Amongst 20th century sculptors, Marini was one of the most actively involved in the finishing of his pieces before they left the foundry, often applying varying surface marks and paint to his bronzes.

 

Carlo Pirovano wrote about this composition: 'This was a sculpture that was certainly elegant in its conception, involving the refined interplay of rhythms that reflected those of a ritual dance. Marino joyfully flaunts all the artifices of an explicit manneristic skill that finds liberative impetus in the colourful veil of the surfaces. In the middle of the tormented phase of his artistic career that swept away his ideals of classical equilibrium [...], Marino isolated one of the protagonists of the drama, the horse (he had already done this at the end of the Thirties, with the same symbolic implications), and, for an instant he gave it the role of the solo actor in what was virtually esoteric isolation' (C. Pirovano in Marino Marini, Mitografia (exhibiti🔯on catalogue), Galler💙ia dello Scudo, Verona, 1994-95, p. 84).