File:Horse and Rider - by Elisabeth Frink - 4 (35775504780).jpg

_____________________________________ Note: I updated the location of this sculpture on 17 December 2018. Thanks to <a href="/photos/rollthedice/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">roll the dice</a>. _____________________________________

A family stop for drinks and a snack at Caffè Nero.

I'd wrongly assumed that, since it was among the cafe tables, the sculpture was a copy. In fact Elisabeth Frink's "Horse and Rider" was the original and commissioned for this site at the corner of Piccadilly and Dover Street.

In one way, it's pleasant for individuals or families to sit and view a public sculpture while having something to eat or drink. With another plus that children can experience places where someone's artwork is seen close-up and as a normal part of the street.

Children learn on the move. Cassie - on her dad's knee in the photo - wanted to walk round the plinth. I held her hand as she went round. We talked about the horse and rider and I held her up to touch the sculpture. The bronze base says ‘Frink, 1975'. Googling the name. We told her that a woman called Elisabeth had made this metal horse and man.

On the other hand the Caffè Nero signs, in effect, <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Hy1g4vkNfet" rel="noreferrer nofollow">informally privatise the space around the sculpture</a>. No sitting unless you buy something.

There is a half-way solution for this. Places where cafes and nearby public art happily co-exist. For example the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/simotronics/14412825547/">sculpture of Isaac Newton by Eduardo Paolozzi at the British Library</a>. (Photo on Flickr by Simon Gibson).

This sculpture Listed Grade II

Part of the information from <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1429315" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Historic England website</a>. Here's more information from their website.

"The sculpture of the Horse and Rider by Dame Elisabeth Frink, of 1975, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Artistic interest: a sculpture of high artistic and aesthetic quality, cast in bronze from plaster, subtly detailed and well-composed; * Historic Interest: as a piece commissioned by a commercial developer from the internationally renowned artist Dame Elisabeth Frink and representative of a recurrent theme in her oeuvre."

"The Horse and Rider sculpture of 1975 by Dame Elisabeth Frink, commissioned by Trafalgar House."

"MATERIALS: bronze on a granite-faced plinth."

"EXTERIOR: at approximately 244cm high, the sculpture is on a rough bronze base signed ‘Frink, 1975’ at the top-left corner. The base tops a granite-faced plinth. Both the horse and rider are roughly finished, their faces fixed to the south-east in common purpose. The horse is in a walking pose; it has a lightly-stylized mane, a shortened tail and expressionless gaze. It has no saddlery.

The rider, a man, has no clothing and is barefoot. Sitting slightly askew astride the horse, his left shoulder is pushed back a little, allowing his arm to drop and his hand to rest casually against the horse’s left flank. His right arm is positioned against his torso, bent forward at the elbow with his hand placed on the horse’s mane. The muscles of both horse and rider are lightly but clearly defined."

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§ Viewing the <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/3rU9VSEGf972" rel="noreferrer nofollow">location with Google Street View</a> showed how the sculpture has become a feature of this branch of Caffè Nero.