The Dying Gaul captures a warrior in his final moments, his face twisted in agony as he succumbs to a fatal chest wound. This poignant image of a defeated foe exemplifies bravery in the face of death, serene acceptance, and a recognition of nobility in a foreign race. Believed to have been commissioned between 230 and 220 BC by Attalus I of Pergamon to commemorate his triumph over the Galatians, a Celtic people of Anatolia, the sculpture immortalizes a profound moment in history. The version displayed in the museum is a replica of a lost masterpiece from the Hellenistic period (323–31 BC), preserving the legacy of this powerful and moving work.
Dying Gaul is a world masterpiece. A once-in-a-lifetime loan from the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the 2,000-year-old sculpture ispart of the Met’s luminescent exhibition of more than 250 incredible objects of Hellenistic art, “Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World.” It is a slightly larger than life-sized marble sculpture of a partially naked man on the ground — apparently felled here, supporting himself with one arm, the other resting weakly on an outstretched leg. The hand on the ground is atop a broken sword; his head is bent downward to the point where we can’t really see his face at all. He is bleeding from a large chest wound, dying.
In 1737, Pope Clement XII acquired the work for the Capitoline Museum (now it is sometimes called the Capitoline Gaul), Rome, Italy. After Napoleon's victory over the Papal States in 1797, the Dying Gaul had a brief interlude in Paris. It was returned to the Capitoline Museum in 1816, and remains there today
For Details visit:
https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/dying-gaul-is-a-world-masterpiece-about-death.html
Meanwhile enjoy this photo in my apartment-my Picture of the Day featuring my small "David" sculpture.
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/top-famous-sculptures-of-all-time
Lastly, here are some stunning photos of the Notre Dame Cathedral after Reconstruction posted in the Web just recently.
First Mass is scheduled for December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception. If my knees were a little stronger, I will have no hesitation in flying there just for the day to attend that mass. For additional photos and details visit:
https://www.cnn.com/style/live-news/macron-notre-dame-paris-reopening-11-29-24-intl/index.html
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