Fragmentarily preserved statue of a young man ridding a Hippalektryon, a mythical creature with the body and head of a horse but wings, hind legs and tail of a rooster. The biggest part of the creature was located in 1887, southeast of the Acropolis whereas the torso of the rider was discovered in 1889.

The Hippalektryon is depicted ready to take off with his wings out-stretched and his forelegs in the air. The small statured rider would try to hold him back by pulling on the reins. An additional support crowned with an Ionic capital was placed under the animals forelegs for added stability. This support along with the creature’s mane retains residue of red paint.

The Hippalektryon is one of the hybrid creatures in Greek mythology which combine elements from two or more animals, or man and animal such as the Centaur and the Siren. Although it appears often on attic vase-painting sometimes even with a mounted young man, in sculpture it is a unique depiction. Its actual character remains unclear as there is no mythological background and is seldom referenced in ancient literary sources. Some scholars see a connection between Hippalektryon and Poseidon, Oceanos or the marine deity Pontus while others attribute to it apotropaic qualities.