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Mars
by Giambologna
About the Artwork
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.
Provenance
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
Exhibition history
Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965). 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). Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971). Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975). The Age of Bronze. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-October 17, 1982). Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Giambologna (Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)
- Date
- c. 1584–87
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- 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.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Accession no.
- 1964.421
More by Giambologna in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010640
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