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Agasias of Ephesus, son of Dositheus
Fighting Warrior
Circa 100 BC
© R.M.N./H. Lewandowski |
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Denon
Ground Floor
Galerie Daru. The Borghese Gladiator
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Greek sculpture |
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The name "Gladiator" given to this warrior from the Borghese collection, bought by Napoleon in 1807, is erroneous, as there were no circuses in Greece. The statue depicts a fighter captured in mid-struggle, beating off an enemy who attacks from above, almost certainly on horseback. The brassard for a shield can be seen on his left arm. By contrast the right arm, holding the pommel of a sword, is a restoration probably dating from the seventeenth century.
Protected by his shield, the warrior prepares to deal a counter-blow in a gesture that forms a powerful diagonal slicing through the space.
An original masterpiece of the late Hellenistic period, created in around 100 BC, this is one of the very few signed statues to have survived. An inscription on the tree trunks reads, "Agasias of Ephesus, son of Dositheos, made [this statue]".
As indicated by the tree trunk, this work was probably made from a bronze, but far from being a mere copy it embodies the artistic endeavors of the Hellenistic period, most notably in its mastery of three-dimensional representation. Agasias probably took his inspiration from a work by Lysippus, whose canon he stretched even farther and combined with innovations of his own time. The head is here very much reduced in size, and the supple, slender muscle structure is as detailed as an écorché, echoing the researches of artists of the Pergamum baroque.
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To return to the Hall Napoléon under the Pyramid, go down to the ground floor and cross the Galerie Daru (Room B).
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