This monumental bronze of the mythical hero Theseus slaying the centaur Bianor during the battle of the Lapiths and and Centaurs was purchased by the railroad baron James J. Hill for his house on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. The plaster model for this figural group was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1850, although this version was probably cast in 1891, the year that Hill purchased the sculpture from the Paris bronze founder Barbedienne.
Antoine-Louis Barye is noted for his vivid depictions of animals in action. In his compositions, wild animals attack their prey, combining naturalistic rendering of their anatomy with movement. These scenes were extremely popular in France and America with the middle classes . Hill was one of Barye's most ardent American supporters, as he purchased eleven of his works from the Barbedienne in 1891. Hill placed Theseus slaying the centaur Bianor in front of the organ in his picture gallery so that it held a prominent position for visitors entering from the entrance hall. The sculpture was donated to the Institute by the heirs of James J. Hill's son, Louis W. Hill in 1955.
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<P>This monumental bronze of the mythical hero Theseus slaying the centaur Bianor during the battle of the Lapiths and and Centaurs was purchased by the railroad baron James J. Hill for his house on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. The plaster model for this figural group was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1850, although this version was probably cast in 1891, the year that Hill purchased the sculpture from the Paris bronze founder Barbedienne. </P><P>Antoine-Louis Barye is noted for his vivid depictions of animals in action. In his compositions, wild animals attack their prey, combining naturalistic rendering of their anatomy with movement. These scenes were extremely popular in France and America with the middle classes . Hill was one of Barye's most ardent American supporters, as he purchased eleven of his works from the Barbedienne in 1891. Hill placed Theseus slaying the centaur Bianor in front of the organ in his picture gallery so that it held a prominent position for visitors entering from the entrance hall. The sculpture was donated to the Institute by the heirs of James J. Hill's son, Louis W. Hill in 1955. </P>
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