Gutzon Borglum (American, 1867-1941). Mares of Diomedes, 1904. Bronze with greenish brown patina. 21...

Description

Gutzon Borglum (American, 1867-1941)
Mares of Diomedes, 1904
Bronze with greenish brown patina
21 x 34 x 15 inches (53.3 x 86.4 x 38.1 cm) (overall)
Inscribed on base: Gutzon Borglum / 1904
Inscribed on base at rear: GORHAM CO. FOUNDERS

Property from the BSA Settlement Trust, Sold for the Benefit of Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

PROVENANCE:
Mortimer L. Schiff;
Estate of the above, 1931;
Gift to the present owner from the above, by 1979.

LITERATURE:
C. de Kay, The New York Times, July 10, 1904;
R. Hughes, The Sculpture of Gutzon Barglum, Appleton's Magazine, December 1906, Vol. 8, p. 745-47, another version illustrated;
E.L. Hubbard, Los Angeles Examiner, April 26, 1915;
J.W. McSpadden, Famous Sculptors of America, New York, 1927, pp. 222, 227;
A.T. Gardner, American Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1965, pp. 101-02, another version illustrated;
B.G. Proske, Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture, Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina, 1968, pp. 63-4;
W. Craven, Sculpture in America, Cranbury, New Jersey, 1984, pp. 489, 510, another version illustrated.

With Mares of Diomedes, Gutzon Borglum set out to sculpt the near-impossible: the sensation of galloping horses in full flight. A torrent of straining bodies surges forward, each animal twisting in its own rhythm-ears flattened, nostrils flared, manes streaming in the wind. Rather than focusing on anatomical precision, Borglum built form through bold, muscular modeling, achieving a thrilling illusion of energy and motion. The result is one of the most dynamic equestrian groups in early twentieth-century American sculpture, a work that seems to breathe, pound, and leap from its base.

Born in Idaho to Danish immigrant parents, Borglum studied in San Francisco before moving to Paris, where he absorbed the expressive modeling of Auguste Rodin. Rejecting the ornamental tendencies of late nineteenth-century French sculpture, he sought a more vital realism rooted in American subjects. After several years abroad, he returned to the United States in 1893, exhibiting Indian Scouts at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A decade later, he established his New York studio and began to make his mark independently-no small feat, as his younger brother, Solon Borglum, was already celebrated for his rugged portrayals of Western life.

It was Mares of Diomedes, first modeled in 1904, that brought Gutzon Borglum national attention. Conceived as a large, multi-figure composition, the sculpture depicts six frenzied horses and a single rider-an allegory of brute strength brought under the control of human will. Though nominally inspired by the myth of Hercules taming the man-eating mares of Diomedes, the artist himself cited the horse raids of the American West as his true inspiration: "I have utilized a subject from the West-the stealing of horses... I stripped the horseman of garments, both to delocalize him and to show the play of a fine nude figure on a horse" (as quoted in B.G. Proske, Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture, Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina, 1968 edition, p. 64).

Art historian A.T. Gardner later observed that "the classical title and the nude rider cannot disguise the fact that the real subject of this sculpture is a cowboy stampeding a herd of broncos. The allusion to great mythology was an afterthought..." (American Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1965, p. 101). The comparison captures Borglum's genius for merging myth and modernity-bridging Western vigor with the psychological drama of European modern sculpture.

When Mares of Diomedes was cast in bronze by the Gorham Company and displayed in its Fifth Avenue window, it caused a sensation. The sculpture won the gold medal at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, was acquired by financier James Stillman, and gifted to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it stood for years at the base of the museum's grand staircase. Smaller casts were made, including examples now in museums and distinguished private collections, such as the Newark Museum of Art.

A rare lifetime cast from 1904, created the same year the model was conceived, the present work carries additional resonance through its distinguished provenance. Formerly owned by Mortimer L. Schiff and his son John M. Schiff-both prominent leaders of the Boy Scouts of America-the sculpture reflects ideals of mastery, discipline, and leadership. Mortimer, a noted New York banker and philanthropist, played a formative role in the organization's early growth, while John continued his father's legacy, ultimately earning the Bronze Wolf-the highest honor of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Powerful, symbolic, and technically audacious, Mares of Diomedes stands as a triumph of American sculpture-uniting Borglum's fascination with myth, motion, and the indomitable human spirit.


More information about Gutzon Borglum. See also: Borglum, Gutzon, Borglum, John Gutzon de la, Borglum, John Gutzon Mothe Artist.

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000.

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