Theseus Fighting the Minotaur, Marble statue in Tuileries Garden, Paris, France
Theseus Fighting the Minotaur is a marble group by Étienne-Jules Ramey, completed in 1827 and placed in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Theseus stands over the fallen Minotaur, one knee pressing the beast's flank, his body twisted as he forces it down. The two nude figures are carved as a compact, interlocking mass of straining limbs and torsos.
Étienne-Jules Ramey won the 1821 Prix de Rome for sculpture with this subject, and the marble was completed in 1827 and shown at the Salon of 1827. It entered the Louvre in 1832, the year the museum's sculpture galleries were reorganised. A bronze cast by the Val d'Osne foundry stands in the Jardin des Tuileries.
The sculpture shows a battle from Greek mythology that reflects the artistic movement of the time. Visitors see how French artists of the period interpreted a famous ancient story through their own artistic vision.
The original is housed indoors in a museum, so visitors should expect opening hours and share the space with other artworks. A replica stands outdoors and can be visited independently of indoor facilities.
The marble was commissioned by Louis XVIII for the Louvre, and a bronze cast later took its place outdoors in the Jardin des Tuileries. The indoor marble and the open-air bronze are often mistaken for one another by passers-by.
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