My search for the "Dying Gaul"

7/4/2016

When in New York City in mid-June, I made a beeline for the Pergamon Exhibition of Hellenistic art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the great works of art of this period, after the death of Alexander the Great—statuary, finery—gems, glass, gold—and parts of the famous Great Altar of Pergamon (originally located in what is now Turkey) on loan from Berlin. One of my main goals was to see the statue of the “Dying Gaul”— one of the most famous statues in history. Well, there it was—a marble copy of the famous Hellenistic Greek statue. But…this copy was smaller than life size. And it wasn’t the copy I had hoped to see (which is in Rome, not Naples, where this one came from)…My favorite has a torque around his neck. Nevertheless, this timeless statue emanated all the pathos of the original--and clear respect for the fallen warrior.

1 Comment

PHIL link

11/11/2016 03:38:01 am

I don't ever remember seeing this one. Does anyone know anything about it? The pose is slightly different, also the one arm and head position. I have seen the Dying Gaul statue in Rome and it is beautiful, but not all that similar to this statue. Obviously, it would be a Roman copy if it is that old, perhaps a copyist who wanted to make the sculpture his own by slightly altering parts? Is it actually ancient or a later 16th century and/or a later period?

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Dear Culture Lover:
Art and music nourish our souls and imagination, while deepening our understanding of the world.
We are lucky in that in the Palm Beaches--cities from Palm Beach itself to West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray and Boca--we have a wide variety of art (and music offerings) in "season" and out...
But where can you find out about the best of these?
these? Check out my "Top Picks" for the best art events of the month in the Palm Beaches... (Eventually we'll add top picks in music too.)
And read my blog for commentary on these art and music offerings in the Palm Beaches and beyond...
April
January 29, 2019

NOTE: April has a talent for life drawing and sketching; she is the daughter of two professional artists, and has been writing about art since she reviewed modern Chinese artist Chen Ting-Shin's artwork while living in Taiwan.