Roman Marble fragment relief depicting a centaur holding a lance, 2nd century AD.

In keeping with Greek aesthetics, this relief depicts the torso of a centaur with curly hair and a face in profile, with his head turned to his left. On the face we can see the Greek-influenced almond-shaped eyes and an expression of restrained tension that shows the moment of action and anger that this character is experiencing. The excellent anatomical study of the muscles can be seen as the chest is uncovered. With his arms bent at the elbow, he thrusts a spear attacking to the left, following his gaze.

The ancient Greeks, magnificent sculptors, used the nude image as the icon of personality, the body devoid of the distractions and disguises of clothing.

Greek reliefs were characteristically used to ornament buildings, providing them with restrained strength. Reliefs that, while showing movement and narrative, are restrained.

The centaur is a Greek icon of the struggle between barbarism and civilisation. Its body consists of a human head, torso and arms, and the legs become the quadrupedal body of a horse.

One of the most popular relief compositions was the centauromaque depicted in one of the four friezes of the Parthenon. It depicts the battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs. The centaurs were invited as a token of peace to the wedding of the king of the Lapiths and his wife, they got drunk and began to kidnap the women of the village, thus starting a bloody war between the two peoples. This episode has been depicted in relief on several occasions, as it is perfect for human and animal anatomical and compositional studies. Many works have been inspired by the Parthenon frieze.

Usually depicted in male form, they represent the strength and vigour of an animal. We can see how this magnificently sculpted torso is holding a stick in its hand, as it would be in a fight, which was one of the main features of the centaurs, who were always warlike.

The strength of this relief lies not only in its sculptural precision, but also in the restrained expression of his face, set against the movement of his hair and body.