Greek Geometric Horse Statue (8th century BC) Around 900 BC a change in style took place in ancient Greek art. Both in decorations and in the art of sculpting geometric patterns emerged, which were very different from the pre-Hellenic style which was customary at the time. Painters began to decorate their pottery with stylized, sketched silhouettes, a style which soon was adopted by sculptors. The horse was suitable for this innovative geometric simplification. Every bronze foundry on the Greek continent developed their own variations, but the "pig's snout", the pointed ears and the triangular notches in the base of the sculpture remained characteristic.