
Unknown (Carolingian)
c. 860
A small bronze equestrian statuette from the 9th century — height roughly 25 cm — traditionally identified as Charlemagne or possibly his grandson Charles the Bald. Modelled on the Roman imperial equestrian type, it is among the earliest surviving free-standing equestrian bronzes of the Middle Ages and a potent symbol of the Carolingian political revival of Roman authority. It has been one of the key objects of the Louvre's medieval collection since 1807.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons