The Horses of Helios

The Horses of Helios, also known as The Four Bronze Horses of Helios,[1] is a bronze sculpture of four horses by Rudy Weller. It is one half of a commission installed in 1992 when the adjacent Criterion Theatre was refurbished. The other half, the Daughters of Helios or Three Graces, is a sculpture of three women leaping off the building six stories above.

The Horses of Helios
The sculpture in 2010
ArtistRudy Weller
Year1992 (1992)
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze
Subject
  • Aethon
  • Eos
  • Phlegon
  • Pyrois
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Coordinates51.509977°N 0.133413°W / 51.509977; -0.133413

The Horses of Helios comprises three bronze elements with dark patina: one pair of horses weighing approximately 4 tons, and two single horses. The four rearing horses appear to be bursting from the water of a fountain. It depicts Aethon, Eous, Phlegon, and Pyrois - the four horses of Helios, Greek god of the sun.[1]

The sculpture was installed in 1992 in a fountain under a canopy at the base of the building at 1 Jermyn Street, on the corner where Piccadilly meets Haymarket, near Piccadilly Circus in London.[2] The building is adjacent to the Criterion Theatre, and was installed when the theatre was refurbished.

The Daughters of Helios or Three Graces depicts the three Charites - Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia - who in some accounts are the daughters of Helios and the naiad Aegle. The three female figures are made from gold-leaf-covered aluminium. They are installed at roof level, as if leaping off the 6th floor of the building immediately above the horses below.

References

  1. "The Horses of Helios – Haymarket/Piccadilly Circus, London, UK". Waymarking. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. "From the Art: The Four Horses of Helios". ThirdWay. Hymns Ancient & Modern. 31 (9): 12. November 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
External image
Fig. 1. (pg. 84), An Ovid Reader: Selections from Seven Works (2014)


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