Description

Legend. Height (base to tip of wing) 590mm (23 inches). Base 405 x 150mm (16x6 inches). Overall length 445mm (17 inches). Overall width 240mm (9 inches). Porcelain. Edition of 20. Signature, edition number, and Nymphenburg makers mark on the base. Damen Hirst's Myth and Legend – a unicorn and a winged horse – recreate the artist's bronze sculptures of the same titles, in porcelain. An anatomical cross-section of the creatures reveals the flesh and musculature of a horse beneath the skin. Handcrafted by the renowned Nymphenburg Porcelain Makers in Munich, these editions continue Hirst's examination of the areas of intersection between science, religion and belief. He explains: "In a way, science brings religion down to earth and to cut open mythical creatures and expose them as no different to mortal horses is somehow still magical. It's kind of like exploding a myth to make it real. I like the way that even by showing these creatures' insides they still feel majestic and hopeful, so they seem more real and not just creatures from fantasy. Maybe they can even help us in the real world.".