Pegasus in Gold

About this work

Two colours are all it needs. The winged horse is worked entirely in polished gold, as if it were a relief sculpture lifted from a wall, and the deep navy around it lets every curve shine. The rearing pose sets up a strong upward thrust: the forelegs lift, the head turns left, and the wings answer by sweeping the other way, up and to the right, so the whole figure forms a balanced, rising shape. Each feather is modelled with highlights and shadow, which makes the wings feel weighty rather than merely decorative. In the bottom corners gold leaf drifts like clouds or dust, grounding the horse in the picture. From across the room it is a bright emblem on dark blue; nearby, the reflections across the gold look almost metallic.

In the myth Pegasus came into the world at a moment of violence: when Perseus cut off Medusa's head, the winged horse sprang from her neck, together with his brother Chrysaor. Later he struck the ground on Mount Helicon with his hoof and a spring burst out, the Hippocrene, whose name means horse's spring; it was sacred to the Muses, and poets came to speak of it as a source of inspiration. With a golden bridle from Athena, the hero Bellerophon tamed him and rode him against the Chimera. In the end, the stories say, Zeus placed him among the stars, and the constellation Pegasus, with its Great Square, still crosses the autumn sky of the northern hemisphere.

Hung with Athena in Gold, it brings together the goddess and the horse she helped to tame in the myth. Horse lovers might rather pair it with The Rearing Horse, another rising figure in bronze and gold. Navy, ink blue and charcoal walls let the background merge with the wall so the gold seems to float; on cream or warm white the navy reads as a strong block of colour. A thin gold frame continues the relief look, while black lacquer is sleek and modern. Add a cream mat for a classic finish. It catches lamplight beautifully in the evening. Its 7168 × 10752 px file prints sharp to about 60 × 90 cm. The download includes a Frame TV version with a gallery mat.