PERSEUS ARMING

Details

Sir Alfred Gilbert, O.M., R.A. (1854-1934)
Perseus Arming
bronze, signed 'A. Gilbert'
14½ in. (36.5 cm.) high including integral circular base

Provenance

with The Fine Art Society, London, from whom acquired by the present owner in 1976.

Literature

J. Hatton, 'The Life and Work of Alfred Gilbert, MVO, RA, LLD', Easter Art Annual, 1903.
I. McAllister, Alfred Gilbert, London, 1929, pp. 55-7.
R. Dorment, Alfred Gilbert, Yale, pp. 28-44, pl. 16.
R. Dorment, Alfred Gilbert, Sculptor and Goldsmith, London, 1986, pp. 106-8, no. 11.

Exhibited

London, The Fine Art Society, Centenary Exhibition, FAS 100, 1976, no. 176.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Gilbert worked on the model of Perseus Arming during the winter of 1880-1 following a visit to Florence, where he had seen Cellini's Perseus and Medusa. However, Cellini's masterpiece failed to move Gilbert so, as he told Joseph Hatton, he 'conceived the idea that Perseus before becoming a hero was a mere mortal, and that he had to look to his equipment.' (op. cit.). The resulting graceful figure of the vulnerable youth was destined to ensure that Perseus Arming, cast dozens of times in three different sizes, would become one of Gilbert's most popular works.

We are grateful to Peyton Skipwith at The Fine Art Society for his help in preparing this entry.

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