Grand Tour 19th Century Italian Bronze Sculpture Ludovisi Mars after Antique

GRAND TOUR
Italy, late 19th century

Ludovisi Mars, After the Antique

Lost-wax and sand cast bronze with a burnished and lacquered patination

15 5/8" H x 10 3/4" W x 6 1/2" D

A lost-wax cast bronze reduction after the celebrated Ludovisi Ares of Antiquity, it is a picture of Love and War with the god of war seated in a moment of repose. The figure is shown nude save for a draped mantle gathered at the hips and a chaste placement of a grape leaf, his body turned subtly in contrapposto as he rests upon a rocky support. His shield is staged beside him, his helmet under foot and his sword held loosely in his hand while his face is one of stoic contemplation. At his feet, the small figure of Eros introduces a quiet counterpoint to the martial symbolism, underscoring the classical theme of restrained power.

This model derives from the ancient marble formerly in the Ludovisi collection and now preserved in the National Roman Museum at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. The antique sculpture is generally dated to the Roman period, after a Greek original of the fourth century B.C. The presence of Eros is traditionally understood to be a later addition, likely introduced during an early modern restoration.

The present bronze is executed with a loosely handled surface typical of lost-wax casts where there is an unusual fidelity to the mold due to the method of casting the primary model. The extremities were sand-cast and then joined to the primary body: the arms, sword and shield. The lost-wax cast putto was then also affixed to the base with threaded rod through the base. The work was cold-tooled to bring out the fine texturing in the hair before it was sealed in what appears to be both a chemical and lacquer patination. A very handsome example.

Condition Report:
Minor wear to patina throughout with discolorations, build-up in the crevices of grime and oxidization, variation from time to the highs and lows of the model and trace verdigris. Ready to place.

ref. 603OXP31Z