TWO EARS GOOD: FOUR EARS BAD or bring on the year of the horse

Moved to tears by the sight of a horse's ears?  It happened and the horse in question was not a snorting, snuffling, sugar- cube loving, living creature but a statue.

   Until I saw the Renaissance bronze "Prancing Horse" modelled by Giambologna (of which this is  detail) the only image of a horse that I'd ever been thrilled by was George Stubbs's "Whistlejacket,"

at the National Gallery in London.   "Whistlejacket" painted in 1762 is an enormous 292x246 cm. --colossal for an 18th century portrait. Yet standing before it, I accept without thinking that such a giant-sized canvas was needed in order to do justice to majesty and high spirits of this beautiful creature. I might feel scared of such a beast up close and in person but in the gallery I look at Whistlejacket and feel nothing but joy. I just stand there and smile.

   Two days ago I visited "Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Hill Collection," which has just opened at the Frick in New York. On view are 33 bronzes from the Collection of Janine and J. Tomilson Hill. Mr. Hill is big in money (Vice-Chairman of the Blackstone Group). He collections paintings also. Three of them--two by Cy Twombly and one be Ed Rucsha are also on view--a first showing of contemporary art for the Frick.  By Mr. Hill's reckoning, he is one of about 15 major bronze collectors world wide--"major" defined as people who can spend $3 million or more on a single piece. More importantly for this viewer, he appears to have a good eye and good advice. There are many fine and lively works; some French, a few German but most Italian. To my surprise (I am doggy not horsey) while I admired and enjoyed many of the bronzes, I fell for the "Prancing Horse." Cast around 1573, it is 25.1x28.7 cm. -a statuette and a midget compared to Whistlejacket. Yet it is every bit as arresting. The whomph it packs is different however; it is not the power of joy but rather the power of tenderness. The show is terrific and this prancing pony is its star.

  Now about another two ears; the baddies.  Not far from the Frick, at the Richard Feigen gallery, London dealer Sam Fogg is staging "Wonders of the Medieval World." Among the objects on view is a carved wood, painted "Palmesel" or figure of Christ on a donkey. Such a statue (here as in many others, the figure of Christ is about the size of a 8 to 10 year old) was pulled through the street on Palm Sunday; it represents Christ's triumphal entry into  Jerusalem. This honey of an example is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. (An image of Fogg's proved elusive.)

  The trouble with Fogg's version was the donkey's ears. The problem wasn't that they are clearly replacements. It is a good thing to make plain what is original and what is not. The difficulty was that these large pointy substitutes were wooden; not as in made of wood but as in lacking soul. I was standing alongside the piece thinking about the expressive, touching ears of Giambologna's horse when Sam Fogg strode up in the company of another man.
  "Larry thinks these ears are distracting and should be removed, what do you think?" Sam asked me. Larry I later learnt is  Lawrence W. Nichols Senior Curator of European & American painting and sculpture before 1900 at the Toledo Museum in Ohio. Larry could have been reading my thoughts so I had no difficulty saying that I agreed. Evidently this was a casting vote (or a flourish of showmanship).  Sam gave a gentle tug; the ears came off. He slipped them under the pull- toy like platform on which the Palmesel stands. A big improvement. 

  Two magnificent memorable ears are all New York needs to celebrate the start of the Year of the Horse in the highest possible style. Happy New Year.