Horses

As with the bull, the horse has a special place in the spiritual heart of mankind. For millennia, his association with humans ensured domination for those with an efficient cavalry over those who had none. In England we worshipped horses under the Celtic goddess Epona and carved great horses on the chalk hillsides; it is probably due to a folk memory of Epona that the British preserve a taboo on the eating of horse flesh. In France the caves at Lascaux show how important the horse was to early man. Where the bull stands for muscle power and individual strength, the horse is the swift athlete that becomes one with its rider, an eager companion and helper.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon (left) is very much a creature of the spiritual past. His head recalls the primitive sea horse, his shape and texture almost fossil-like or a votive offering from remote antiquity.

Rolling Horse (below) is more of a real animal; the fine delicacy of horse limbs and huge bony swelling of the ribcage, absurd and touching by contrast.