Gladiator thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Gladiator

Statuette
ca. 1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Prieur, Barthélémy (sculptor)
Place of origin
France (made)

This bronze statuette was made in France in about 1600, probably by Barthélémy Prieur. The pose of a gladiator represented is derived from a bronze statuette of Pluto by Domenico Poggini (1520-1590) in the Studiolo (or Study) of Francesco de' Medici in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.


Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Statuette
TitleGladiator (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Bronze statuette of a gladiator, attributed to Barthélemy Prieur, France, ca. 1600
Physical description
Bronze statuette of a gladiator. The gladiator, naked, strides to the left with the right foot, his body is turned to the front. In his right hand he grasps the hilt of a sword which he is drawing from a sheath held in his left hand. The right arm is straight and the sword is held horizontally. The sheath is missing.
Dimensions
  • Height: 21.5cm
Credit line
Purchased through the John Webb Trust
Production
Attributed to Barthélémy Prieur
Subject depicted
Gladiators
Summary
This bronze statuette was made in France in about 1600, probably by Barthélémy Prieur. The pose of a gladiator represented is derived from a bronze statuette of Pluto by Domenico Poggini (1520-1590) in the Studiolo (or Study) of Francesco de' Medici in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
Bibliographic references
  • [Unpublished dissertation] Bewer, F. G. The technological investigation of Renaissance bronze sculpture. University College, University London. 1993. pp. 135-143. figs. 59-63.
  • Cf. Bode, Wilhelm von. intro. Collection of J. Pierpont Morgan. Paris, 1910. vol. II. no. 128.
  • Cf. Art in America. I, 1913. p. 72.
  • Cf. Illustrated Catalogue of the Rita Lydig Collection. 1913. no. 51.
  • Cf. Middeldorf, Ulrich, Kriegbaum, Friedrich. Forgotten sculpture by Domenico Poggini. The Burlington Magazine. LIII, 1928. pp. 9 ff.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.63-1925

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Record createdNovember 1, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O106942/gladiator-statuette-prieur-barthélémy/
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