Marly horses, Marble sculpture pair in Cour Marly, France
The Marly horses are a pair of marble sculptures featuring rearing steeds with kneeling grooms, carved entirely from Carrara marble. Each work stands approximately 3.40 meters tall and 2.84 meters wide.
Guillaume Coustou created these sculptures between 1743 and 1745 for King Louis XV. They were originally made to adorn the entrance to the Château de Marly's park, where they replaced earlier sculptural groups.
These sculptures represent the height of French artistic skill during the 1700s, when such works demonstrated a nation's power and refinement. They show how artists of that time captured both physical strength and dramatic movement in marble.
The original marble works are on display in the Louvre Museum's courtyard, while marble composite replicas remain at their original location in Place de la Concorde. Visitors can view either version depending on whether they prefer the originals or the site where they once stood.
Each horse displays taut muscles and visible veins that convey inner power and tension. The grooms beside them appear to strain with all their strength to restrain the animals, freezing a moment of intense struggle.
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