The Sandalbinder

Maker Fonderia Chiurazzi (Italian, founded 1870)

Dateearly 20th century

MediumBronze

Dimensions67 x 36 x 22 3/4 in. (170.2 x 91.4 x 57.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936

Object numberSN5086

A young man, at times interpreted as the Roman military leader Cincinnatus, the mythological hero Jason, or the messenger god Hermes, reaches down to tie (or untie, as some scholars contend) his sandal, probably just before or after an athletic competition. The many copies that survive of the Greek bronze original attest to the statue’s fame in antiquity, and its open-ended subject made it a popular ornament for the gardens and gymnasia of the ancient world.

On View

On view

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