Horse 9, Balios

A small glazed ceramic horse figurine. The horse leans forward with its front left leg bent, as if to drink water or grasp something in its teeth. It is painted a near bright blue with a dark muzzle. The hooves are painted a contrasting reddish brown. The mane and tail are incised to depict the texture of hair. 9. Balios. One of the two semi-divine horses which drew the chariot of Achilles, and which, according to the sixteenth book of the Iliad, had been sired by the West-wind, with the co-operation of the harpy Podargë.Exhibit label:BALIOS. THE HORSE OF ACHILLES.A gift from Sir John Falstaff of Caister in Norfolk.—The Twelfth Letter, in Ladies and Gentlemen.