Impressive sculpture, almost life size, depicting a horse and a horseman, in the act of hitting an enemy with his spear. The horse is in mid-air, with the muscles straining for the leap, in an extremely naturalistic depiction. The head and the body sport bridles and trappings. The horseman, with typically Indian facial features, is adorned with a rich collection of jewelry, including anklets, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings and an elaborate hairstyle, or headdress, falling down his back. The whole sculpture is characterized by conspicuous traces of red paint, and parts of the horseman’s body are finely painted with intertwined plant motifs. The work was exhibited during Duel Art 96, exposition of antiquities and contemporary art, 11-19 May, 1996, Villa Borromeo Cassano d'Adda Milano, and published in the catalogue on page 17. Provenance: Private Northern Italian collection, acquired in 1979.