Heroe of Riace (B)
€820.00
Product number:
23905873361
Product information "Heroe of Riace (B)"
It happened on 16 August 1972 on the Calabrian coast not far from the strait between the Italian mainland and Sicily: Italian scuba diver Stefano Mariottini accidentally came across an arm, a knee and toes sticking dark green out of the sand at a depth of 8 metres. A few days later, frogmen from Messina recovered the two completely intact bronze statues, which were almost 2 metres tall, using an air-filled balloon. The statues of the two unclothed Greek heroes were probably travelling to Rome, where Greek art was very popular in Roman times, when their ship was shipwrecked near Riace. They once carried shields, spears or swords. The genius sculptor Phidias is regarded as their creator. When the bronzes were freed from their calcareous incrustations after 7 long years, they aroused the admiration of 1 million people in Florence. At their second exhibition venue, the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the record number of visitors was surpassed. The beauty and artistic expression of the heroes of Riace are unique. They are bronze-cast images of the Greek ideal of harmony between body and mind. Original from around 452 BC, in the Museo Reggio di Calabria. Reduction. Polymer ars mundi museum replica, cast by hand. With fine bronze patina. On a diabase plinth, size 15 x 15 x 5 cm, height with plinth approx. 51 cm.