Dying Gaul

Maker Fonderia Chiurazzi (Italian, founded 1870)

Dateearly 20th century

MediumBronze

Dimensions37 x 76 1/2 x 36 in. (94 x 194.3 x 91.4 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936

Object numberSN5088

Probably unearthed in the early 1620s in Rome, this statue shows a young Gallic warrior suffering from a sword wound to his abdomen. His unkempt hair and neck torc readily identify him as a Gaul, or at least “non-Greek,” and the shaved face, save the moustache, suggest he was of a higher class. Often referred to as a gladiator, following an erroneous interpretation of the 17th century, the sculpture has enjoyed a high reputation throughout its modern history, even inspiring a series of stanzas in Byron’s highly influential poem, <i>Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage</i> (1812-18). The original bronze likely dates to the late 3rd century BC and has been identified as one of a group erected at Pergamon (in modern-day Turkey) in commemoration of a Greek victory over the Gauls.

On View

On view

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