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Through the ages the portrayal of man on horseback has provided the \nsculptor with the chall~nge to solve one of the most baffling \ncompositional problems in Art. The problem involves the balancing of \na vertical mass on a large horizontal one, which in its turn rests on \nslender supports. To add to the complexity, the natural gait of the \nhorse is unsuitable for artistic reproduction and must be skilfully \nmodified so as to look natural and be aesthetically acceptable. \nFurther, horse and rider must form a unity, which reflects the \ncharacter of the rider. \nIn spite of the formidable technical, compositional and aesthetic \nproblems associated with this type of sculpture, the monumental \nequestrian statue has always been a popular form for honouring \nheroes and sovereigns. The representation of man controlling the \npowerful majestic horse and at the same time looking down on his \nfellow men from his elevated position on the back of the horse, \nappealed to the depostic ruler as well as to the man on the street. \nThe monumental equestrian statue had its origin in the sixth century \nB.C. in ancient Greece. Since then it has flourished in times of \nautocracy. The ancient Greeks solved most of the technical, \ncompositional and aesthetic problems of the equestrian statue. The Romans inherited the tradition of erecting equestrian statues from \nthe Greeks and made it the sole privilege of sovereigns. Solutions to \ntechnical and compositional problems were taken over directly from the \nGreeks. The Romans, however, preferred bronze as a medium \ninstead of marble. In spite of the compositional freedom which the \nuse of bronze gave the sculptors, the Romans preferred a rest fur \nfigure showing a rider as triumphator. \nDuring the Middle Ages most of the Roman equestrian statues were \ndestroyed, with the exception of a few. The Marcus Aurelius in \nRome was mistaken for a statue of Emperor Constantine, the first \nChristian emperor, and it was spared. Since it showed a barbarian \nbeneath the forelegs of the horse, the statue became symbolic of \nChristianity overcoming paganism. In this sense the equestrian \nstatue acquired symbolic funerary implications. Stone was the \nfavourite medium and the sculptors of the Middle Ages solved \nnumerous problems associated with the creation of an equestrian \nstatue in this medium. Bronze equestrian figures were neglected \nbecause the technical know-how of the Greeks and Romans had been \nlost. \nThe Renaissance once more focussed the attention on the individual, \nthereby reviving the truly secular commemorative equestrian statue of \nClassic Antiquity. Technical, compositional and aesthetic secrets of \nAntiquity were gleaned from surviving equestrian statues and antique \nsources. Donatello revived the Roman tradition of monumental bronze \nequestrian statues with his Gattamelata, while Verrocchio created the \nfirst secular equestrian monument since Antiquity with his Colleoni \nequestrian monument. Although Leonardo's Sforza and Trivulzio \nequestrian statues have not survived, the solutions which he found to \ntechnical, compositional and aesthetic problems while working on them, \nwere to have a profound influence on all later equestrian statutes. A \ncomplete revisal of the commentaries on his notes connected with these \nmonuments have proved that he not only renewed the entire technical \napproach to this sculptural form, but he also found new compositional \nand aesthetic solutioDuring the period from the Baroque to the end of the nineteenth \ncentury, Leonardo's innovations were implemented. The Giambologna \nstudio in Italy established the proto-types for all Baroque equestrian \nstatues. The French inherited this tradition. A complete history of \nall the French equestrian statues before the French Revolution is \ngiven. During the nineteenth century technical improvements \nresulted in the mass production of equestrian statues throughout the \nworld. \nA complete history of all the equestrian monuments in South Africa is \ngiven and it is indicated how this form was adapted to South African \nconditions. Modern technical and compositional methods are discussed \nand evaluated.ns which completely revolutionised the creation of \nequestrian statues.
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