German School Bronze Sculpture of Victorious Achilles Circa 1900

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Description

VICTORIOUS ACHILLES
Probably German, circa 1900

28 1/4" H x 7" D x 7 1/2" W

Patinated sand-cast bronze
Unsigned

… Read more VICTORIOUS ACHILLES
Probably German, circa 1900

28 1/4" H x 7" D x 7 1/2" W

Patinated sand-cast bronze
Unsigned

A powerful bronze figure of a classical warrior as a victor, probably representing Achilles, shown standing with one arm raised to hold a laurel wreath high overhead. He wears a crested helmet and carries a round shield ornamented with the bas-relief head of Medusa surrounded in a border of laurel leaves. He grasps behind his shield a long sword, this resting casually by his side.

The model relates a body of representations of Achilles as the victorious Greek warrior that became popular around the turn of the century and well into the Art Deco era. The present example is almost undoubtedly German School in origin and was executed using the sand-cast method circa 1890-1915. The surface is silky and smooth with a translucent glowing patina showing hints of greens and blacks in the lower layers; this is not the original patina, having been executed by our conservator after restoring the figure's arm to its original state.

Condition: Restored upraised arm. Repatinated after arm restoration. Pristine presentation, cleaned and waxed. Ready to place.

ref. 309GJR09X See less