Appliqué for a carriage with horse and rider; Rome

Applique for chariot with horse and rider; Rome, 2nd-3rd century AD.
Bronze.
Attached thermoluminescence test.
Provenance: Private Collection, Madrid.
In good state of preservation.
Measurements: 10.5 cm x 10.4 cm.
Solid bronze carriage lamp representing the figures of a horse and a rider. The rider wears a short tunic represented with the folds as if they were moving in the breeze, giving a sensation of dynamism to the piece. His facial features are very schematic and static, which contrasts with the details of the horse. The animal's head is slightly tilted with its mouth open, its left foreleg bent forward as if in motion, its back arched and its tail flying in movement. As in the case of the horse, the work of the reins, bridle and saddle is prominent and clearly distinguishable.
This appliqué is commonly known as carriage fittings, a bronze element that is attached to the front of the carriage and serves to hold the straps that go from the horse to the driver. Apart from this element, Roman chariots had small bronze carvings on the rear side area and also in the centre of the wheels. Both were decorative and at the same time functional and necessary parts.
The lost-wax casting technique is a sculptural procedure using a mould made from a prototype of the piece to be worked on, and this prototype is usually made from beeswax. This is covered with a thick layer of soft material, usually clay, which then solidifies. Once hardened, it is placed in a kiln where the wax inside melts and comes out through holes made specifically in the clay. Molten metal is injected in its place and takes the exact shape of the mould. To remove the final piece, the mould has to be removed.