Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Figurative Sculpture: The Fighting Gladiator - Providence, RI

The Fighting Gladiator
Providence, RI


N 41° 47.206 W 071° 24.826



Quick Description: 

The Fighting Gladiator is located in Roger Williams Park on Natural History Avenue in Providence, RI.



Long Description:

A 5' by 4' by 5' bronze figure of a nude male stands on a 9' by 7' by 5.75" stone base. The man is leaning forward with his right leg forward and his left leg back. His left arm, which has a guard on the forearm, is held over his head in a blocking position. His right arm is behind his back and he is holding a fighting aid, a 6" cylinder, in his right hand.

The sculpture is a copy of a sculpture created by Agasias of Ephesus and is example of Hellenistic Art from the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE. It was sculpted by George Wilkinson of the Gorham Manufacturing Company in 1891 and erected in Roger William Park in 1894.



A bronze plaque on the front of the base is inscribed:

THE FIGHTING GLADIATOR

Given to the City of Providence in 1891
by George Wilkinson, Superintendent of
the Gorham Manufacturing Company, this
statue is a copy of an original at the
Louvre in Paris.

The Fighting Gladiator was restored in
1988 by the Providence Parks Department.

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