Stallions Rampant

Two magnificent bronze stallions rampant, created by the noted sculptor Gabriel Sterk, welcome visitors to the Rymill Coonawarra Winery.

Such horses have long been important to the Rymill family, and were an integral part of their business for a number of generations. Coonawarra’s terra rossa soil, with its high calcium content, raised horses with strong bones and powerful constitutions long before it became famous for the excellence of its vineyards and wines.

Gabriel Sterk’s life and career have alternated between Europe and Australia. Born in Holland in 1942, he emigrated to Adelaide with his family in 1958, but his developing career and talent soon drew him back to the art treasures of Europe; first of all to Italy, and then to the Royal Academy in Holland.

He now lives in France, where he sculpted the original of the stallions rampant in clay, prior to their being cast in bronze at a foundry in Holland, and then shipped to Australia where they now stand proudly before the winery, evoking the past and eliciting the future.

For further information, see Gabriel Sterk