Amazone te paard

On Op de Thermen square, Amazone te Paard by the Limburg sculptor Arthur Spronken quickly catches the eye. Although the sculpture is made entirely of bronze, the rider and the horse seem as though they might spring into motion at any moment. This dynamism is characteristic of Spronken’s work and is central to this artwork.

Movement as a starting point
The sense of movement was precisely what Arthur Spronken wanted to evoke. The Limburg-based sculptor was known for his expressive sculptures of horses and riders. From the 1960s onwards, horses featured increasingly frequently in his work, not as lifelike representations, but as a means of conveying tension and dynamism.

Arthur Spronken designed Amazone te Paard in 1973. Ten years later, the statue was installed at Op de Thermen in Maastricht. With powerful lines and an open design, he created a statue that reveals a different silhouette from every angle.

The Amazon
The rider is an Amazon: a female warrior from Greek mythology. Together with the horse, she forms a single powerful entity. The rider’s posture and the horse’s taut form create an image that radiates strength and movement.

What is there to see?
Up close, the powerful lines and open design are particularly striking. Thanks to its open form, the silhouette changes constantly as you walk around the sculpture.

In this way, Arthur Spronken demonstrates how movement can be made visible even in a static sculpture.