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Babieca

Babieca

“Babieca” was the horse of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (1043-1099). He was a Castilian nobleman considered to be the national hero of Spain for his bravery and military genius on the battlefield. The legend begins with young Rodrigo coming of age. As a gift, his uncle, a Carthusian monk by the name of  Pedro El Grande, bade him to select a young colt from his stables. Of all the fine Carthusian colts, Rodrigo selected what his uncle considered to be a weak and inferior animal, and exclaimed “Babieca!”, or “Stupid!”.  The name stuck, but the gray colt grew into a fine white war horse, a typical Carthusian horse noted for his docility, loyalty, striking appearance, and nimble feet.  This story has some distinctive similarities to the story of  how Alexander the Great came to questionably choose the easily spooked and gangly Bucephalus as his own, who also later became one of the most famous war horses in history.

Year: 2022
Material: Bronze
Size: 75 x 25 x 45 cm | 160 cm on pedestal
Editions: 8

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