West frieze of two horsemen
- Audio guide stop: 269
- Gallery: Room 18
- Maker: Pheidias
- Culture: Classical Greek
- Made in: Athens
- Date: 438BC-432BC
- Object type: temple-relief
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1816,0610.47
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is "The Parthenon Sculptures," a marble relief from the West frieze of the ancient temple in Athens. Created around 438 to 432 BCE, it features two horsemen reining back their horses. The leading figure turns to look back, raising his hand to his head, and wears a cloak pulled tightly at his neck but billowing out to the side. His hair has small holes—once used for attaching a metal wreath. The other horseman is draped in a chlamys, a typical cloak of the era.
The horses show careful attention to detail, especially the drill-holes where metal reins would have been attached. This sculpture is part of the Panathenaic procession frieze, commemorating the birthday of the goddess Athena. Designed by the famous ancient Greek sculptor Pheidias, the work comes from Classical Greece and showcases the fine artistry of the time.
See it in person
West frieze of two horsemen is on display in Room 18 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 269, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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