Duke Beaumont Antique French Provincial Horse Head Bust, Bronze Green Cast Iron 43cm

The look of a bronze that has stood in the same garden for fifty years.

Duke Beaumont Antique is the same 12 kg solid cast iron horse head, finished in an aged bronze green patina. The ground is a dark grey green, with mossy tones settled through the mane and hollows and a pale grey lichen bloom left across the high points. He reads as weathered bronze rather than new metal, which is the point of him.

At 43cm tall he holds a corner of a garden or an entry table without anything alongside. He is built for outdoor life, heavy enough to stay put in wind, and the green tones sit well against sandstone, limewashed render and clipped hedging where newer metal tends to jar.

Why we love it

• ◆The aged look, a dark green ground with lichen bloom, the finish usually found only in salvage yards
• ◆The weight, 12 kg of solid cast iron, so he stands through wind and weather without fixing down
• ◆The depth of patina, worked into every recess of the mane and bridle rather than laid flat over the top
• ◆The quieter finish, where the rust version is warm and immediate, this one recedes into planting and stonework

How to style it

The green tones want cool, chalky surroundings rather than warm timber.

• Set him against sandstone or limewashed render rather than dark brick
• Give him one end of a hall console with books at the other
• Group him with the rest of our garden sculptures
• Set him beside planters of clipped box on a terrace

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust from the mane and bridle. The antique patina is a finished surface and needs no sealing, though outdoors it will continue to soften and deepen, which is intended. Place a felt pad or a saucer underneath on pale stone or painted timber, and keep harsh chemical cleaners and abrasive pads away from him.

Because Duke Beaumont Antique is hand-finished, slight variations in patina, texture, and grain are natural and add to the unique character of each piece. Colour may also vary slightly between screens, all photography is taken in natural light.