Galerie Günter Franke, Munich
Acquired from the above by the grandfather of the present owner in September 1964

Herbert Read, Patrick Waldberg & Gualtieri di San Lorenzo, Marino Marini, Complete Works, New York, 1970, no. 160, illustrated p. 420
Lorenzo Papi & Erich Steingräber, Marino Marini pittore, Ivrea, 1987, no. 238, illustrated in c💙ol🔯our p. 120

The canvas is wax-lined and strip-lined. There are lines of retouching to all four extreme edges to cover previous frame rubbing. There are several lines of retouching, up to 6cm. in length to the lower centre, an intermittent line of retouching to the very centre of the composition (possibly to cover shrinkage), three 3cm. lines to the top left quadrant and some small intermittent lines and scattered spots of retouching to the background. All retouching is visible under UV light, some visible under natural light, the retouchings and lining could be sympathetically reworked to improve overall condition. Overall this work is in good condition. Colours: Fairly accurate, although the reds are overall richer and more varied in the original. The green and orange areas are stronger and much more vibrant. The yellow area is slightly greener in the original.
"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."

Marini's images of horses and riders are characterised by a mixture of playfulness and pathos. In the monumental and powerful Composizione Equestre the forms and figures are captured in a series of quick, bright brushstrokes and bold blocks of unmodulated colour. The intensity of expression and the stark, angular shapes in the present work point to the influence of Picasso, whose Guernica (1937, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid) had a lasting effect on Marini. In the present work, however, Marini eschews the chaos of Picasso's scene to present the horse and two figures as bold, emblematic. Through the extraordinary combination of colour and form and through the artist's painterly attention to the overall compositional structure, Marini has created a work of great power and im𒀰mediacy.

Fascinated by the richness of oil painting and the freedom it gave him, the artist himself commented: 'Painting is a vision of colour. Painting means entertaining the poetry of fact; and in the process of its making the fact becomes true. In colour, I looked for the beginning of each new idea. Whether one should call it painting or drawing, I do not know' (quoted in Sam Hunter, Marino Marini, The Sculpture, New York, 1993, p. 37).  In his paintings and sculptures on the theme of the horse and rider, Marini created a unique allegory that yielded great personal and political significance. As Giovanni Carandente has elucidated, 'the myth of the rider, of the man who derives his force and impetus from the beast that he dominates and drives, but by which he is also unsaddled, grew from year to year, brought worldwide celebrity to the sculptor, and resulted in repeated masterpieces. In some works the connection between the horse and the rider becomes almost symbiotic, as though the artist would melt the two bodies into one to represent Nessus, the mythical centaur' (G. Carandente, in Fondazione Marino Marini (ed.), Marino Marini, Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculptures, Milan, 1998, pp. 12-13).

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Marini in his studio