Constancy
Maker
Agostino Testa
(Italian, 1662 - 1735)
Collections
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Datelate 17th - early 18th century
Mediumlimestone
Dimensions81 1/2 × 31 × 22 in. (207 × 78.7 × 55.9 cm.)
base: 18 1/2 × 27 × 27 in. (47 × 68.6 × 68.6 cm.)
overall: 100 × 32 × 27 in. (254 × 81.3 × 68.6 cm.)
DescriptionThis sculpture portrays the allegory of Constancy as a man in armor who is proving his endurance by holding his hand in a flaming brazier. The image probably refers to the fearlessness of the legendary Roman hero Gaius Mucius Scaevola who put his right hand in the fire to show the Etruscan king Porsenna that he did not fear him (Livy, II, 12).
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Status
On viewObject number20.43
