William Morris Hunt
American, 1824–1879
The Horses of Anahita
INV-6500
William Morris Hunt
American, 1824–1879Modeled 1848–50, cast 1882–1910
The Horses of Anahita
William Morris Hunt American, 1824–1879 →sculptureamerican arts
Date
Modeled 1848–50, cast 1882–1910
Medium
Plaster
Dimensions
49 × 74.5 × 31.1 cm (19 5/16 × 29 5/16 × 12 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Brooks McCormick
In 1846, after reading his brother’s translation of a sixth-century Persian poem about Anahita, the goddess of the night, William Morris Hunt became intrigued with the myth, and he returned to the subject repeatedly throughout his career. Anahita was an important Persian nature deity, probably derived from Babylonian mythology, who was identified with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Although the poem describes Anahita fleeing the dawn in her chariot, Hunt did not actually include the deity in this relief. He probably created the relief as a study for his murals in the New York State Capitol, in Albany. The expressive sculpting of the figures—with the horses’ legs modeled fully in the round—captures the drama of the moment in three dimensions.
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