THE OLD CENTAUR
# 61
Magnificent sculpture inspired by the old centaur in the Capitoline Museums.
It is a masterpiece of bronze in which the sculptor has captured the physicality of this mythical creature. This is most evident in the torsion of the centaur’s torso, which twists almost sensuously to the right, and the arching of its back. The centaur’s arms demonstrate movement and physicality through the strange and painful way he holds them behind his back.
The piece was sculpted from a rare gray marble found in the quarries of the promontory of Capo Tenaro in Laconia. Scholars believe the sculpture to be a high-quality copy of an older bronze original.
On the plinth or base of each statue are the signatures of the artists who made them, Aristeas and Papias.
This statue was found together with the Statue of a Young Centaur (also present in the same room of the museum) at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli during the excavations led by Cardinal Furietti.
The work dates to the Hadrianic Period (117-138 A.D.).
Marble dust work, with patina of ageing
H. 24 ½" W. 16"½ D. 7"¾ Wt. 46¼ lb

# 61
THE OLD CENTAUR
Marble dust work, with patina of ageing
H. 24 ½" W. 16"½ D. 7"¾ Wt. 46¼ lb


