Theseus Slaying the Minotaur (Primary Title)
Antoine-Louis Barye, French, 1796 - 1875 (Artist)
Barye produced a number of mythological pieces in which he demonstrated his ability to depict the human body, while also representing dramas of extreme emotion. Unlike his animal sculptures, these scenes fit within will-established traditions of French art and were viewed as serious and meaningful subject matter. Here, a heroic Theseus, whose stylized body is based on archaic Greek precedents, prepares to kill the monstrous Minotaur – half-man, half-bull. The control conveyed through Theseus’s posture and dispassionate expression contrasts with the writhing violence of the Minotaur’s desperate attempts to escape. The rationality of man demonstrably overpowers the brute strength of the beast.
Incised after casting on 'self base' behind left heel of Theseus: "BARYE"
Charles G. Thalhimer Family Fund
2021: Romantic Bronzes
The Mrs. Nelson L. St. Clair, Jr. Donation of Sculptures by Antoine-Louis Barye, VMFA , April 24, 2021 -
Perspective Series-Lost and Forgotten Meanings, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va., February 1 – July 3, 1994
The Romantic Bronzes, Walter Cecil Rawls Museum and Library, Courtland, Va., November 20 – December 16, 1980; Peninsula Arts Association, Newport News, Va., April 8 – May 11, 1982
The Mrs. Nelson L. St. Clair, Jr. Donation of Sculptures by Antoine-Louis Barye, VMFA , April 24, 2021 -
Perspective Series-Lost and Forgotten Meanings, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va., February 1 – July 3, 1994
The Romantic Bronzes, Walter Cecil Rawls Museum and Library, Courtland, Va., November 20 – December 16, 1980; Peninsula Arts Association, Newport News, Va., April 8 – May 11, 1982
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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