Lot 62: JOSUE DUPON

BELGIAN, 1864-1935
HOPLOMACHUS

HOPLOMACHUS

measurements
height: 56 in. (pedestal height: 45 in.)

alternate measurements
142. 24 cm (114.3 cm)

inscribed Josué Dupon (on base)

bronze with brown patina

EXHIBITED

Brussels, Artisian Art, November 11-13, 2005

LITERATURE

Cor Engelen and Mieke Marx, Beeldhouwkunst in België: vanaf 1830, Leuven, 2002, p. 654

NOTE

After leaving the Academy at Antwerp, Dupon was a regular exhibitor in the Belgian Salons, receiving the gold medal in 1891. Dupon's design style and modeling technique can be compared with his close friend Rembrandt Bugatti. With the present work, Dupon depicts a hoplomachus (a type of gladiator) posed as if about to plunge his weapon downward, delivering a final blow to an unseen conquest. Lithely muscled, wearing a peaked helmet, bearing a small shield, and carrying a long spear, the hoplomachus was renowned throughout the Classical world for his quick feet and ability to let loose a series of quick, sharp thrusts of his spear. The present work may be a unique casting and follows in the monumental tradition of Dupon's most renowned sculptures.