Warrior Sculptures Day, Part 1 - Assorted

Today's two part series is about warrior sculptures, and part one starts with an outdoor copy of The God from Cape Artemision.  No one seems to be sure if it is Zeus or Poseidon, but both of them could be warriors in the right situations.  I think there is a popular video game that uses the image.

 

Dead Galatian

This gruesome item is Dead Galatian, a 2nd Century A.D. copy of a 3rd Century B.C. Greek original.  I decided to include it because of the fine musculature and realism.

 

Jason

Above we have Jason by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen from 1803.  Below, three images of what it would look like in different materials.  You might note a key anatomical element in the bronze version does not match the rest of the statue.  In typical wry Scandinavian fashion, the person who did the mockups shows the patina worn off a part many passersby would feel compelled to touch.  Whoever that was must have been to Vigeland in Oslo.  I love the Norse.

 

Battle of the Nude Men

This terracotta relief is Battle of the Nude Men by Antonio del Pollaiuolo from about 1485.

 

Gaul

Finishing part one with Kneeling Youthful Gaul,

yet another Roman copy of a Greek work.

 

Warrior Sculptures Day, Part 2 - Riace Bronzes

Some time ago I posted a photo of the Riace Bronzes, two Fifth Century B.C. sculptures found off the Italian coast in 1972.  They are widely considered among the finest full size Greek sculptures ever discovered.  Today, I am posting some photos of an experimental museum mockup of what the Riace Warriors statues might have looked like with their original Greek polychrome painting applied.  

We will also see another shot of the originals and an interesting drawing.

 

Originals

Just as a reminder, here is a "new" picture I found of the original recovered statues.

 

Polychrome

Our second polychrome version includes what looks like a white fox headdress.

 

Sketch

Here is an artist's rendering of what the sculptor's models might have looked like.

 

Polychrome III

Closing with the polychrome mockups together.

 

Archery in Art

Today we look at archers in a variety of art media, 

starting with this bronze sculpture by Otto Lessing.

 

Mueller Crefeld

 

This 1920 piece is by Mueller Crefeld.

Julius Schmidt

Nice derriere on this one by Julius Schmidt.

 

Johann Schadow

This early 19th Century relief in bronze is by Johann Schadow.

It's another example of the imaginary bow.

 

Hercules the Archer

This is a copy of Antoine Bourdelle's Heracles the archer from 1909.

 

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

We start with what I think is a copy of Canova's 1801 marble of Perseus 

holding the head of Medusa.  That broken sword puzzles me.

 

Rodin I

\

If you think you've seen Adam, the Creation of Man by Rodin in other museums, you probably have.

It's one of several of Rodin's works that the artist created more than one copy of.

 

First Century Roman Hercules

This 1st C. Roman bronze of Hercules as a young man is one of the 

more subdued versions of the hero.  It was found near Tivoli.

 

Antinous as Dionysus

This is Roman Emperor Hadrian's lover Antinous shown as Dionysus.  

It was found in the ruins of the Villa Casali in 1700, and the sculptor is unknown.

 

Rodin II

The rear view of Rodin's Saint John the Baptist Preaching 

is better than anything I could get of the front.