An Athlete Wrestling with a Python

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An Athlete Wrestling with a Python by Frederic Leighton, 1877
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
(National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art)
Viale delle Belle Arti
Rome, May 2019

“An Athlete Wrestling with a Python was the first of three bronze sculptures produced by the British artist Frederic Leighton. Completed in 1877, the sculpture was a departure for Leighton, and heralded the advent of a new movement, New Sculpture, taking realistic approach to classical models. It has been described as a ‘sculptural masterpiece’ and as ‘possibly Leighton's greatest contribution to British art’. Despite its indebtedness to the Classical tradition, it can be understood as one of the first stirrings of modern sculpture in Britain as well as in Europe. The Athlete was arguably the most influential piece of English sculpture of the 19th century. The sculpture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1877 under the title An Athlete Wrestling with a Python but it is sometimes also known as An Athlete Strangling a Python or An Athlete Struggling with a Python. The original full-size bronze was acquired for the nation using funds from the Chantrey Bequest, and is displayed at Tate Britain in London.” (An Athlete Wrestling with a Python, Wikipedia)