Two bronze statuettes were dated by thermoluminescent analysis of the casting cores. A pacing horse in the Victoria and Albert Museum was dated to A. D. 1550 ± 43, which places the piece within Giambologna's lifetime and enables it to be associated with various other projects. A statue of Mercury, in the Sir John Soane's Museum in London was dated to A.D. 1640 ± 33, which means it was probably executed by Giambologna's pupil Pietro Tacca. The pacing horse was also analyzed for elements, by the PIXE method, and for lead isotope ratios.