Marcus Aurelius on horseback

The statue is a reduced copy of the ancient Roman statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius on horseback (height 424 cm) made in gilded bronze between 166 and 180, held in the Musei Capitolini. The emperor is depicted in the convention of an official representative portrait. He is seated on a palfrey horse, wearing a tunic and a cloak (paludamentum). His right hand is stretched forward, a gesture signifying the emperor's solemn address to the troops. Marcus Aurelius's head is in the type of his imperial portraits, which show him with a long, thoughtful face, surrounded by a beard of winding tendrils, with a characteristic hairstyle of a mass of curls falling on his forehead and temples. It is believed that the statue stood in the 10th century in the Lateran Square in Rome. In 1538, on the initiative of Pope Paul III, it was moved to the Capitoline Square and placed on a pedestal designed by Michelangelo. In 1981, it was moved to the Musei Capitolini, and a contemporary copy was placed in its place. It is the only wholly preserved antique equestrian statue. Interest in this work was evident throughout the modern era. Small copies made in bronze, plaster and gemstones were popular. The statue was an inspiration for many equestrian monuments, including the statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski made by Bertel Thorvaldsen in Warsaw. The creator of the Łańcut statue is Giuseppe Boschi, born in Rome around 1760, who died after 1821. He is known for his bronze statuettes famous in the 18th century, mainly copies of ancient sculptures. The statue comes from the Tarnowski family's art collection in the Castle in Dzików, from where it was taken over by the Museum in Łańcut in 1950. It is exhibited in the staircase leading to the second floor of the castle. Barbara Trojnar