A very large and very scarce sculptural galvanoplastic bronze high-relief frieze depicting a nude Greek soldier driving a chariot drawn by two horses against a backdrop of bas-relief Ionic columns, executed in a style that blends classicism with Art Deco / modernist elements, such as the soldier’s machine-age helmet and the horse’s mane made of wavy lines that recall architectural friezes by Eric Gill and Antoine Bourdelle. It’s probably German, and dates to around the 1920s.

Galvanoplastic, or electrotyped, bronzes were popular with sculptors in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, and used a process of very thick electroplating of non-conductive surfaces. The process fell from fashion before the onset of WWII. This frieze has a cast plaster core and an exceptionally thick layer of copper, warmly patinated, and with hints of verdigris, to appear bronze-like.

The frieze is designed to be displayed leant against a vertical surface or displayed in a stand. It does not hang, and is not free-standing.