The Case of the Fake Medici-Ricciardi Horse Head

by Giovanni Battista Tomassini

For several days, an image created with artificial intelligence has been going viral on social media, presented as the famous Medici-Ricciardi horse head, which is housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. This fake has deceived even many experts in equestrian culture and prompts a reflection on the new horizon of communication on the internet.

In recent days, an image of a marble horse head has been circulating online, shared by many enthusiasts. The anatomy of the animal is depicted with great elegance, and most notably, the serene and intense expression emanating from its figure is striking. It is not surprising that it has captivated horse lovers all around the world and has, therefore, gone viral. The caption presents it as the famous Medici-Ricciardi horse head (protome), the surviving part of a life-sized equestrian statue of Hellenistic origin, dating back to the 4th century BC, housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. The problem is that the horse head in the photo is not the Medici-Ricciardi protome at all! The real horse head that belonged to Lorenzo the Magnificent is made of bronze and does not resemble the image in the slightest.

Indeed, even without knowing the original (which is nonetheless one of the most famous pieces of equestrian artwork of antiquity), some details should have raised alarms for, at least, the more knowledgeable experts. The first and most glaring one is that neither the bridle nor the bit, with which the supposed marble horse is adorned, resemble those used in the 4th century BC. In most classical representations, such as on vases, ancient Greek bridles rarely had a noseband (which in Greek and Roman harnesses was replaced by the much more coercive metal psalion). Furthermore, in the classical period, between the 4th and 5th centuries, in the Greek world the so-called Corinthian bit (click on the link to read the article about this bit), with prominent S-shaped external cheekpieces, was predominantly used, as it can be seen, for example, in the famous mosaic of the Battle of Alexander, found in the House of the Faun in Pompeii and now preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Furthermore, upon closer examination, the anatomy of the supposed marble horse head looks not so precise in its details. The ears are strangely rounded at the tips and resemble those of a deer more than those of a horse…

The fake Medici-Ricciardi horse head, posted in Old Historical Images Facebook page

The mystery is quickly solved by clicking on the link of the Old Historical Images profile, from which the post, that is raging on social media, originates. The sparse information provided does not reveal the author’s name, but qualifies the profile as a personal blog. At first glance, it becomes immediately clear what it is: a page presenting historical photos and portraits reworked by artificial intelligence. Just scroll through the posts to find many other images of equestrian statues (to be honest, these are much less successful than the one that went viral), all presented as “Medici-Ricciardi (or Riccardi) horse heads.” In short, the marble protome that is delighting horse enthusiasts around the world is nothing more than a digital image, produced with artificial intelligence.

The matter seems like a fairly innocent joke, but the speed with which the image spread online, deceiving even renown experts, effectively demonstrates how social media works. In fact, people often tend to share posts online without verifying the reliability of their sources, and this case clearly highlights our vulnerability to images and information manipulated with artificial intelligence. While the false attribution of a piece of ancient artwork results in relatively minor damage, consider what could happen with images of political, scientific, medical content, etc. For this reason, the case of the fake horse head warrants further reflection.

The Medici-Ricciardi horse head

The first and most immediate thought is that none of the many social media users who enthusiastically shared that image seemed curious to verify its origin, or at least to check if the person who posted it had previously shared similar images. Many asked for additional information in the comments, but evidently, few took the trouble to conduct even minimal personal research (which would have easily revealed the deception). The first thing that stands out is that we tend to approach the “information” that flows into our phones through social media with a passive attitude. The stimuli are numerous, constant, and rapid, so there is no need to make any effort to seek more. If someone says it is a Hellenistic statue preserved in an Italian museum, it must be true, right?

The second consideration concerns the rather surprising fact that many of those to whom it was revealed – by me or others – that the image was a blatant fake replied that they preferred the false image to the original. Most justify this preference by saying that in the fake image, the horse appears more relaxed and “happy” (though how can we truly know if a horse is happy or not?) compared to the Hellenistic bronze one. Curiously, the fact that this apparent serenity is artificial does not trouble them at all. This, too, seems to be a typical trend in communication in the internet age. We tend to accept as true those images that somehow conform to our ideas, prejudices, convictions, those that gratify us because they resemble something we want. Even if we suspect, or even know for certain, that they are fake!

Detail of a terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora (jar), showing horse harnessed with no noseband, and corinthian bits
© The Metropolitan Museum – New York

Many other people, on the other hand, despite being informed that the image was a virtual object generated by artificial intelligence, continued to ask where the horse head was located and what it actually was. This indicates that many internet users do not understand that today there are sophisticated computer systems capable of synthesizing digital images that are very realistic, but entirely immaterial, by reworking data stored in their memory.

Finally, equally disconcerting to me, is the fact that many of these people did not seem the least bit concerned that the author of the post was passing off that image as the Medici-Ricciardi protome. Because, in fact, there is nothing wrong if someone openly declares that an image is produced by AI. The false attribution, however, reveals a fraudulent intent: it tries to pass off a fake as genuine. And when someone gives me something fake, I always want to know why. What’s in it for them? And not just that: it makes me feel manipulated. Sure, the image is beautiful, but why am I being led to believe it is something different from what it is? Yet, many internet users seem to attribute the same status to a photo of a real object, like the photo of the actual bronze head, and to the image of a digital chimera, which is, moreover, passed off as a genuine archaeological find.

My reflections stop here. In no way do they intend to be a criticism or a censure of the many who appreciated that image and, more or less consciously, shared it thinking it was something else. However, I believe that the issues raised by this simple episode are the first signs of the problems we will soon face in a world of communication, in which we will have to deal more and more often with virtual images and information. We need to learn to recognize them to avoid falling for far more serious deceptions than mistaking a classical statue for its digital alter ego. And I believe that, in this increasingly artificial world, driven by obscure intentions, being brought back to nature and reality by our love for horses, can be an ever more precious and necessary antidote.

The Medici-Ricciardi and the Carafa horse heads

(This article was published on July, 30, 2024, in La Repubblica dei Cavalli website. To read the original article in Italian, just click on the following link: https://www.repubblica.it/dossier/cronaca/la-repubblica-dei-cavalli/2024/07/30/news/il_caso_della_falsa_testa_di_cavallo_medici-ricciardi-423422123/?ref=RHRM-BG-P9-S1-F)

Share your thoughts

I use cookies to make your experience of this site as pleasant as possible. By closing this banner you accept the use of cookies.
Read more about cookies »
OK