Nessus and Deianira
Maker
Giambologna
(Flemish, 1529 - 1608)
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Dateca. 1575
Mediumbronze
Dimensions16 5/16 x 12 1/2 in. (41.5 x 31.8 cm.)
base: 5 7/8 x 4 1/8 in. (14.9 x 10.5 cm.)
DescriptionThis bronze sculpture portrays the mythological centaur Nessus attempting to abduct Deianira, a princess in Greek mythology. Deianira was also the wife of Heracles, one of the greatest Greek heroes.
SignedSigned by the artist on the centaur’s headband.
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.
Label TextThis rare, signed Nessus and Deianira (IOA BOLONGIE on the centaur’s headband), with its multitude of sinuous lines and balanced tensions—Deianira’s outstretched arm, the centaur’s straining hooves—reveals the artist’s skill at combining drama and dynamism. Giambologna balances this energetic composition—which seems to propel forward, leaving behind fluttering drapery—on the centaur’s hind legs, making the sculpture a great achievement, technically as well as visually.Status
On viewObject number17.13
William Blake
ca. 1814-1816
Object number: 000.17
