T he Year of the Horse has begun. According to Chinese astrology, we can expect the energy to shift from caution and mystery to confidence and responsibility. Over the next couple of weeks (Lunar New Year celebrations traditionally last much longer than the Georgian New Year's Eve), those who celebrate will be filling red envelopes with money to distribute to children, visiting temples, lighting lanterns, and consuming vast amounts of LNY treats.
Artists have long been inspired by the majesty of horses and we’ve seen many an equine-themed object come through our doors. With that in mind, we’ve chosen our ten favorite takes on the horse, from Picasso to Botero, in honor of the new year’s zodiac sign.
This monumental and voluminous sculpture – it stands 10 feet tall – is a not only a wonderful interpretation of the horse but a classic form from the Fernando Botero oeuvre. The artist’s exploration of the motif finds roots his childhood: Botero’s father was a salesman who travelled on horseback and passed away when he was just four years old. Decades later, following the tragic death of his own child, Pedro, Botero crafted a series of portraits and sculptures of Pedro on horseback. This particular bronze sculpture was executed in 1992 as one of three and was sold at auction in 2024 for $4,920,000.
This pavé-set brooch from the 1960s is set with circular cut diamonds and a marquise shaped emerald eye. The mane, which is articulated and moves with the wearer, is made up of pear-shaped rubies. It is unsigned, but this is potentially because it was designed as a special commission, and based on the owner’s sketch of her favorite horse named Gallant. It was sold for approximately $77,000 in 2025 as part of our Geneva High Jewelry auction.
Dating from the Tang Dynasty ( 618-907 BC), these diminutive bronze figures display the kind of artistry and detail we expect from the “golden age” of Chinese civilization. At the time, horses were a symbol of power and prosperity, central as they were to expansion of the state, and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. These figures were sold in Hong Kong in 2023 for 1,008,00HKD.
While not technically in the form of a horse, the Italian car manufacturer’s globally recognizable logo is the Cavallino Rampante or the “little prancing horse.” The little horse – painted in black with a yellow backdrop, rearing back, mane flowing – is featured prominently on the fender of this 1962 Ferraro 330 LM. The car, which still wears its original racing livery, was driven at the 1962 Le Mans, one of 13 Ferraris in that year’s race. Though it didn’t win, it’s still a champion in our books, selling for $51,705,000 in 2023.
The craftsman who created this weathervane in Massachusetts circa 1860 likely never imagined that this utilitarian piece would one day command $150,000 at auction. But that’s exactly what happened in 2020, when Replica Shoes ’s hosted an auction of Important American Folk Art to benefit the New Folk Art Initiative at the Museum of Replica Handbags s, Boston. Dynamic and exceptionally patinated, this leaping horse bears the grace and energy of the real thing.
“They don’t make them like they used to,” is the first phrase that jumps to mind when viewing this century-old carousel horse. Probably made around 1900 by the Gustav Dentzel Carousel Company in Philadelphia, this leaping horse was purchased for $6,600 in 2025 as part of our Americana sale. Gustav Dentzel’s company was the maker behind several carousels still in existence, some of which – like those in Broad Ripple Park in Indianapolis and Highland Park in Mississippi – are designated U.S. National Historical Landmarks.
One of the earliest known works by Picasso (a painting he made as a child) includes an image of a horse. He returned the animal again and again throughout his career in paintings and drawings. Here, the horse adorns a ceramic vase made at the Madoura Studio in the south of France. Part of an edition of 300, this pot sold in 2020 for $11,875 as part of a broad offering of his prints and ceramics.
This 7 ½-inch bronze sculpture was cast in 1919 as part of an edition of 20. Equestrian themes had become part of Degas’ subject matter in the late 1800’s and he made many paintings and sketches of horses throughout his career. This piece, which sold for $125,000 in 2020, was conceived between 1865-81 and was only realised thanks to his heirs, who authorized the A.A. Hébrard foundry to cast bronze sculptures out of Degas’ original wax models.
One must really love racing to have a crocodile binocular case just for the occasion. Designed by the British luxury goods company Asprey & Co in 1925, this rectangular case has space for binoculars (these were made by Carl Zeiss), a pencil holder and silver pencil, a pouch and a separate compartment to hold a racing card. An original race card from 22 April 1948 was sold inside this incredible case for $1,000 in 2019 as part of an auction called The Art of Travel.
Gérald Genta is widely credited in the watch world as being one of the most, if not the most, significant watch designers of the modern era. He designed Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the Patek Phillipe Nautilus, Cartier’s updated Pasha timepiece, and the IWC Ingenieur among others including for his own eponymous brand. This prototype design for the latter was specifically painted in honor of the Chinese Zodiac of the Horse. It was sold in 2022 for 44,100HKD as part of an auction dedicated to his impact on the industry titled Gérald Genta: Icon of Time.
