Antoine-Louis Barye and Barbedienne
Theseus Slaying the Minotaur (first version)
1842-1908
Scroll
- Artist: Antoine-Louis Barye
- Foundry: Barbedienne
Theseus Slaying the Minotaur (first version)
1842-1908
Physical Qualities
Bronze, 18 x 12 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. (45.7 x 31.1 x 16.5 cm.)
Credit Line
The George A. Lucas Collection, purchased with funds from the State of Maryland, Laurence and Stella Bendann Fund, and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations throughout the Baltimore community
Object Number
1996.46.12
The subject of Theseus and the Minotaur was treated with frequency by late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century sculptors. According to the myth, Theseus, an Athenian hero, went to the island of Crete to slay the Minotaur, half bull and half man. Here Theseus prepares to thrust his sword into the forehead of the creature that digs his claws in the hero's back as he struggles to free himself. Of note is the contrast in body types: Theseus is somewhat trim and slender, and the Minotaur is more heavily muscled, although still clearly the victim in this confrontation.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1996; from Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, by gift, 1910; from Henry Walters, Baltimore, by bequest, 1909; from George Aloysius Lucas, Paris
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, "Les Animaliers: Antoine Barye and His Followers", January 17-February 23, 1975.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Barye: Contrasting Viewpoints", August 12-September 28,1975.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Barye: Contrasting Viewpoints", August 12-September 28,1975.
"19th and 20th Century Sculpture," Sale LN7345, Sotheby's, London, 6/6/1997, no.21, ill.
Inscribed: Signed on base: 'BARYE'. Inscribed on underside, "Une des premieres epreuves" (hand of George Lucas)
