The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Mars

Mars

c. 1584–87
(Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)
Overall: 39 x 18.4 cm (15 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.); with base: 41.6 x 18.5 x 21.4 cm (16 3/8 x 7 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.)

Did You Know?

The active, twisting pose indicates that the statue was designed to be viewed in the round.

Description

Although he is lacking the helmet and armor common to Mars in Roman iconography, this figure is identified as the ancient god of war. Mars pauses mid-stride, swinging his sword arm back to strike an enemy in his gaze; this dynamic composition is typical of Giambologna’s models. Collectors prized small bronzes such as this and often kept them in special rooms along with antiquities, coins, shells, and other curiosities. Easy to hold and arrange due to their small size, they were appreciated through touch as well as sight.
  • Catalina von Pannwitz [1876-1959, née Roth], Bennebroek, Netherlands
    1964
    (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1964–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Year in Review for 1964." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 51, no. 10 (1964): 236-66. #1, repr. 25152021
    Pillsbury, Edmund P. Florence and the Arts; Five Centuries of Patronage. 1971. no. 36, repr.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 100 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 100 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 116 archive.org
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
    The Age of Bronze. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-October 17, 1982).
    Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).
    The Italian Heritage; an exhibition of works of art lent from American collections for the benefit of the Committee to Rescue Italian Art (CRIA). Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY (organizer) (May 17-August 29, 1967).
    "The Italian Heritage (Committee to Rescue Italian Art)," New York, Wildenstein and Co., May 17- August 29, 1967, no. 51, repr.
    Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
    "Sechs Sammler stellen aus," Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 7 April- 11 June, 1961, no. 46
  • {{cite web|title=Mars|url=false|author=Giambologna|year=c. 1584–87|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.421