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Horse Tamers

Horse Tamers is a famous pair of colossal statues, usually identified as Castor and Pollux, that have stood near the site of the ancient Baths of Constantine on Rome’s Quirinal Hill since antiquity. They are known to be fourth-century Roman copies of Greek originals. During the Middle Ages, the Quirinal was known as Monte Cavallo, a name that continued to be used in the nineteenth century. Napoleon’s agents considered including the statues among the classical works removed from Rome after the Treaty of Tolentino in 1797, but they proved too large to be moved over long distances.

White marble Horse Tamers sculpture with a muscular figure beside a rearing horse on a stone pedestal.
The Horse Tamers in Rome, shown with a white marble figure and rearing horse against a clear sky.
© · CC BY 2.0
Marble horse tamer statue with a rearing horse on a stone pedestal against a cloudy sky.
Horse Tamers marble sculpture shown on a stone pedestal with a rearing horse beside the figure.
October 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Horse Tamers sculpture lit in blue beside a horse, with an ornate building and clock tower in the background.
The Horse Tamers sculpture at Piazza del Quirinale illuminated in blue at twilight.
April 2016 © Presidenza della Repubblica · Attribution
The Horse Tamers sculpture seen from behind, with a rearing horse and an obelisk rising in the background.
The Horse Tamers sculpture in Rome, photographed from a low angle with an obelisk behind it.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
Horse Tamers statues flanking the Quirinal obelisk beneath a blue sky.
The Horse Tamers sculptures stand on either side of the Quirinal obelisk.
© · Public domain

Identification

TitleHorse Tamers
Alternative namesDomadores de Cavalos; Colossi of the Dioscuri; The Horse Tamers; "marble horses" (cavalli marmorei)
TypePair of colossal marble statues
Number of statuesTwo

Iconography and meaning

SubjectThe Dioscuri, usually identified as Castor and Pollux
Iconographic interpretationEach figure holds the reins of an unruly horse; the group was also interpreted as Alexander the Great with Bucephalus, and as a symbol of the control of base natures by higher nature

Historical context

DateRoman copies of Greek originals, probably based on 4th-century BC models
Historical presenceLocated on the Quirinal Hill in Rome since antiquity; recorded from the 10th century and mentioned in medieval sources

Discovery and provenance

Original settingNear the Baths of Constantine on the Quirinal Hill, Rome, standing on a large marble pedestal
Medieval hill nameThe statues gave the Quirinal Hill the medieval name Monte Cavallo, which was still used in the 19th century

Creator

Attributed makersFormerly attributed to Phidias and Praxiteles; modern scholarship regards them as Roman copies of Greek originals of unknown authorship
Modern scholarly opinionStephen Geppert considers them Antonine-period works

Physical characteristics

AppearanceThe horses’ vigor has been admired, while the figures’ coarseness has been noted; the figures are heroic nudes
ConditionAmong the best-preserved colossal sculptures surviving from the Roman Empire; generally in excellent condition with superficial weathering
Survival statusThey have survived without ever being buried
ScaleColossal; gigantic

Materials

MaterialMarble

History and restoration

RestorationRestored under Pope Sixtus V between 1589 and 1591 by Domenico Fontana and placed on new pedestals flanking the Fontana dei Dioscuri
InscriptionThe bases bore the inscriptions OPUS FIDIÆ and OPUS PRAXITELIS, regarded as fanciful late-antique attributions; one inscription was under each statue and was later corrected to Phideæ during Sixtus V’s restoration
RearrangementIn 1783–1786 the statues were set at an angle to each other and the Quirinal Obelisk was erected between them
FountainA granite basin, formerly used as a cattle drinking trough in the Roman Forum (Campo Vaccino), was installed between the statues in 1818
Napoleonic removal attemptAfter the 1797 Treaty of Tolentino, Napoleon’s agents tried to remove them to France, but they were too large to transport far

Significance

InfluenceThey were repeatedly noted in medieval works, inspired later works such as the Horses of Marly, and their model was copied many times
Related worksCapitoline Dioscuri (Dioscuri del Campidoglio) in Rome
Later replicas and copiesPaolo Triscornia made the first full-scale copies for the Manège in Saint Petersburg; Christian Friedrich Tieck placed cast-iron copies on Berlin’s Altes Museum; Peter Klodt von Urgensburg made four bronze Horse Tamers for the Anichkov Bridge in Saint Petersburg; Frederick MacMonnies cast a bronze copy in 1899 for the Ocean Parkway entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Other proposed or planned versionsIn 1558 Onofrio Panvinio proposed Alexander and Bucephalus and suggested Constantine had moved the statues from Alexandria to Rome; in the 1640s bronze replicas were planned for the Louvre but the project failed; Richard Westmacott made a life-size bronze copy with shield and sword as a tribute to the Duke of Wellington, installed at Hyde Park Corner opposite Apsley House