Alfred Gilbert's commemorative sculpture Kiss of Victory shows a Roman legionary fallen in battle embraced at the moment of death by the genius or spirit of victory. It is possible that Gilbert began this sculpture as a private memorial to his brother Gordon who had died only months before Gilbert started working on the piece. Although designed in Paris, while Gilbert was a student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, his teacher, Pierre-Jules Cavelier, encouraged Gilbert to travel to Rome and execute the sculpture in marble.
Kiss of Victory was commissioned by Somerset Beaumont (1835-1921), one of Gilbert's most loyal patrons and friends throughout his career. As a private commission, the sculpture was intended to be seen close up in an intimate space such as a drawing room or entrance hall.
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<P>Alfred Gilbert's commemorative sculpture Kiss of Victory shows a Roman legionary fallen in battle embraced at the moment of death by the genius or spirit of victory. It is possible that Gilbert began this sculpture as a private memorial to his brother Gordon who had died only months before Gilbert started working on the piece. Although designed in Paris, while Gilbert was a student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, his teacher, Pierre-Jules Cavelier, encouraged Gilbert to travel to Rome and execute the sculpture in marble. </P><P>Kiss of Victory was commissioned by Somerset Beaumont (1835-1921), one of Gilbert's most loyal patrons and friends throughout his career. As a private commission, the sculpture was intended to be seen close up in an intimate space such as a drawing room or entrance hall.</P>
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