YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A STATUE



Especially one where a guy is riding or sitting on a horse. I suppose there are statues of women on horses but I haven't seen any.



Although the picture was taken before my time, I did see this statue in Vienna, Austria, this Summer. Don't ask me who it is, but I know one definite about him.



He was wounded in battle. So, Inquisitive Reader(s) ask how I came up with that notion.



There seems to be a rule of thumb among sculptors. At least sculptors who depict war heroes on horseback. If the horse has one foot raised, it means the rider was wounded in the war. If the horse has two feet raised, the rider was killed in the war. If the horses feet are not raised, the rider was not injured or killed.

And if the horse has all four feet in the air, the sculptor was an idiot. Well, maybe not the last part, but the other parts are true. Just a bit of useful information to be called upon the next time you see a statue with a horseman.