Plaque in the Shape of a Chariot

ca. 4th century B.C.
Gold
H. 3.6 cm, W. 2.7 cm
A gold sheet has been pressed and sculpted into a dramatic rendition of a two-horse chariot. The driver's head is missing, but we can see that he is wearing a belted tunic, has a whip in his right hand, and the reins in his left hand. His long sleeves are shown with wrinkling down their entire length. The two horses rear up on their hind legs, with their forelegs folded at their chests. Diamond-shaped forms adorn the center of the horses's chest bands, and a girth circles their bellies. The front of the chariot is adorned with a large number of rosette and palmetto designs. Both wheels are incised with eight spokes each. While the driver appears to be a Persian, the horse heads are shown with the finely sculpted nostrils of Arabian horses. The origin of the maker of this work cannot be determined by the type of horse shown, as is the case in cat. No. 33. This superb example of an artisan's work measures a mere 3.6 x 2.7 cm, and was surely created by a Greek school artisan.