The Dying Gaul: An Ancient Roman Masterpiece from the Capitoline Museum, Rome
The Dying Galatian became one of the most celebrated works to have survived from antiquity and was engraved and endlessly copied by artists, for whom it was a classic model for depiction of strong emotion, and by sculptors. It shows signs of having been repaired, with the head seemingly having been broken off at the neck, though it is unclear whether the repairs were carried out in Roman times or after the statue’s 17th century rediscovery.
During this period, the statue was widely interpreted as representing a defeated gladiator, rather than a Galatian warrior. Hence it was known as the ‘Dying’ or ‘Wounded Gladiator’, ‘Roman Gladiator’, and ‘Murmillo Dying’. It has also been called the ‘Dying Trumpeter’, because one of the scattered objects lying beside the figure is a horn.
Created in the first or second century AD, the Dying Gaul is one of the most renowned works from antiquity. This exhibition marks the first time it has left Italy since 1797, when Napoleonic forces took the sculpture to Paris, where it was displayed at the Louvre until its return to Rome in 1816. A universally recognized masterpiece, the Dying Gaul is a deeply moving celebration of the human spirit.
West Building Main Floor, Rotunda
Organization: Organized by Roma Capitale, Sovrintendenza Capitolina – Musei Capitolini, and the National Gallery of Art, together with the Embassy of Italy, Washington.
It is part of The Dream of Rome and 2013—The Year of Italian Culture in the United States, which is organized under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic by The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Washington, in collaboration with the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali.
Passes: Passes are not required for this exhibition.
