Torso of Banovic Strahinja thumbnail 1
Torso of Banovic Strahinja thumbnail 2
+2
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Torso of Banovic Strahinja

Figure
1908 (made)
Artist/Maker
Meštrović, Ivan (sculptor)
Place of origin
Serbia (made)

This marble torso was made by Ivan Meštrović in Serbia in about 1908. It represents a mythical Serbian hero renowned for his beauty, Banovic Strahinja. Meštrović trained in Vienna then moved to Paris where he met Rodin. The influence of Rodin can be seen in this naturalistic but fragmented figure. The sculpture was donated by the Serbian Government following an exhibition of Meštrovic's work at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1915.

Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Figure
TitleTorso of Banovic Strahinja (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Carved marble
Marble
Brief description
Torso of Banovic Strahinja by Ivan Meštrović. Marble, 1908, Serbia
Physical description
Over life size torso of a man. There is no head, the arms stop just below the shoulders and the top of the legs disappear into a square integral base.
Gallery label
(2021)
Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962)
Torso of Banović Strahinja
1908

Banović Strahinja is a figure from Serbian folklore, ‘renowned for his manly beauty’, who defied tradition to rescue his abducted wife. Here, in a deliberately fragmented, headless torso, Meštrović seems to celebrate the hero’s humanity, suggesting that his actions were motivated by his heart rather than his head. The V&A held an exhibition of Meštrović’s work in 1915 just after an exhibition dedicated to the work of his friend, Rodin.

Paris
Marble
(June 2007)
Banovic Strahinja was a mythical Serbian hero renowned for his beauty. Meštrovic trained in Vienna then moved to Paris where he met Rodin; the influence of Rodin can be seen in this naturalistic but fragmented figure. The sculpture was donated by the Serbian Government following an exhibition of Meštrovic's work at the V&A in 1915.
Credit line
Given by the Serbian Government
Summary
This marble torso was made by Ivan Meštrović in Serbia in about 1908. It represents a mythical Serbian hero renowned for his beauty, Banovic Strahinja. Meštrović trained in Vienna then moved to Paris where he met Rodin. The influence of Rodin can be seen in this naturalistic but fragmented figure. The sculpture was donated by the Serbian Government following an exhibition of Meštrovic's work at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1915.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.92-1915

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Record createdJuly 16, 2007
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O137417/torso-of-banovic-strahinja-figure-meštrović-ivan/
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