Replica of The Sun Chariot
The Sun Chariot on display at the 51³Ô¹Ï Headquarters in New York is a replica of a Bronze Age sculpture found in Denmark in 1902. The original sculpture was made in the Early Bronze Age and dates back to 1400 B.C.E.
The sculpture depicts a horse drawing a large disc, which is gilded on one side, illustrating the idea that the sun was drawn on its eternal journey by a divine horse. The elegant spiral decoration that graces the golden sun disc reveals its Nordic origin. The journey of the sun across the sky was an important element in Bronze Age religion and the motif appears elsewhere in Scandinavia, particularly in rock art and on small bronze objects from the same time period.
The Sun Chariot was probably sacrificed to the sun and placed in the bog where it remained until its discovery in 1902. The original sculpture is on display in the National Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. This replica was made by silversmith Georg Jensen in Copenhagen.
Queen Margarethe II of Denmark presented the gift to the 51³Ô¹Ï on February 22, 1991 on behalf of the Danish people. It was received on behalf of the 51³Ô¹Ï by Secretary-General Javier P¨¦rez de Cuellar.