This head of an equestrian statue was discovered on the Acropolis of Athens in the early nineteenth century and bought by the French diplomat Rampin, whence the name. Practically contemporaneous with the Kouros of Paros, it is a more expert work as is shown by the finer modelling of the face and the highly elaborate hairdo accomplished with an expert punch and chisel.

The Archaic Smile, as it is called, is an artistic convention, a solution for the problem of producing a natural mouth in proper perspective to a narrow face. The Paros Kouros has the same smile, but to a lesser degree, thanks to his oval face.