Theseus Slaying the Centaur Bianor
On View In:
Gallery 303
Artist:   Antoine-Louis Barye
F. (Ferdinand) Barbedienne  
Title:   Theseus Slaying the Centaur Bianor  
Date:   c. 1850 (modeled, cast c. 1891)  
Medium:   Bronze  
Dimensions:   50 x 20 x 44 in. (127 x 50.8 x 111.76 cm)  
Credit Line:   Gift of the Heirs of Louis W. Hill, Sr.: Mr. Louis W. Hill, Jr., Mr. Jerome Hill, Mr. Cortland Hill, and Mrs. Maude Schroll  
Location:   Gallery 303  

This monumental bronze of the mythical hero Theseus slaying the centaur Bianor during the battle of the Lapiths 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.

Artist/Creator(s)     
Name:   Barye, Antoine-Louis  
Nationality:   French  
Life Dates:   French, 1796-1875  
 
Name:   F. (Ferdinand) Barbedienne  
Role:   Caster  
Nationality:   French  
Life Dates:   Paris, 1838-1952  
 

Object Description  
  
Inscriptions:   Signature; Mark on back: [A.L.Barye] foundry mark:[F. Barbedienne, Fondiur Paris]  
Classification:   Sculpture  
Creation Place:   Europe, France, , ,  
Accession #:   55.11a,b  
Owner:   The Minneapolis Institute of Arts