On the gateposts of the Royal Palace of Naples stands a pair of grooms tending to their horses. These often overlooked bronze sculptures are no work of the Renaissance, let alone Ancient Rome, but of Imperial Russia. The original pieces were created in 1851 and stand on the Anichkov Bridge in Saint Petersburg to this day. The “Horse Tamers” are one of the best-known works by sculptor Peter Clodt von Jürgensberg, a favorite of Emperor Nicholas I. It is said that the emperor once praised his artistic prowess, remarking that he…
