Allegorical Group of Triumphant Ptolemy

Greekearly 2nd century BC (?) (Hellenistic)

The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States

Although the group seems to represent two wrestlers, the victor's diadem (headband) identifies him as a Ptolemaic king whose victim probably symbolizes unsuccessful Asian or native Egyptian resistance. The image of the triumphant king is inspired by a traditional Egyptian theme, but the naturalistic rendering of the bodies shows Greek influence. The interlocking figures and the pyramidal silhouette are distinctly Hellenistic.

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Details

Title: Allegorical Group of Triumphant Ptolemy
Creator Lifespan: -0399/0300
Creator Nationality: Greek
Date Created: early 2nd century BC (?) (Hellenistic)
Type: statuary groups
Rights: Acquired by Henry Walters, 1910-1915, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
External Link: The Walters Art Museum
Medium: solid cast bronze
Provenance: [From Kharbia, Lower Egypt]; Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1910-1915, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Place of Discovery: Kharbia, Egypt (?)
ExhibitionHistory: From Alexander to Cleopatra: Greek Art of the Hellenistic Age. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1988-1989; Ägypten Griechenland Rom: Abwehr und Berührung. Staedtische Galerie Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main. 2005-2006; Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; San Diego Museum Of Art, San Diego; Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA), New York. 2009-2011
Artist: Greek

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