19th c. Horse Bust

On an equestrian estate in the Luberon, this stone horse once presided over the living ones, carved in their honour and set out among them. Found in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and dating to the 19th century, it shows a weathered head of pale stone, the mane falling in heavy carved waves, the mouth open, the whole softened by a century of Provençal weather. Heads like it ornamented the gateposts, fountains, and stable yards of the great French horse estates, a tribute in stone to the animals that were the pride and the livelihood of the place. Sylvie would set it on a console or a mantel indoors, or back out in a garden where the weather can go on shaping it.