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Baroque · Sculpture
The Marly Horses
Guillaume Coustou the Elder · 1739–1745
ArtistGuillaume Coustou the Elder
Date1739–1745
TypeSculpture
MediumCarrara marble
Dimensions355 cm × 284 cm × 127 cm (140 in × 112 in × 50 in)
LocationRichelieu Wing
— The Work
About this masterpiece
Two colossal pairs of rearing horses each restrained by a half-naked groom, the Marly Horses combine raw equine power with the elegance of Rococo composition. Carved between 1739 and 1745, they were originally installed at the entrance to the royal Château de Marly, where they framed the horse pond designed for Louis XIV.
— Context
Historical significance
Moved to the Place de la Concorde at the start of the Revolution and finally transferred to the Louvre in 1984 to protect them from pollution, the Marly Horses anchor the magnificent glass-roofed Cour Marly, which gathers some of the finest French outdoor sculpture of the 17th and 18th centuries.
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