Object Description
Large pair of patinated and gilt bronze Atlas figures
French, 20th Century
Figure with globe: Height 135cm, diameter 46cm
Figure with armillary sphere: Height 132cm, diameter 52cm
Each pedestal: Height 74cm, width 47cm, depth 47cm
This pair of French figures depicts the weight of the Earth and the weight of the Heavens. Each burden—the Earth represented by a globe and the Heavens by a spherical astrolabe—is carried by a hunched-over Atlas figure, each of which is superbly cast from patinated bronze. Each Atlas figure stands on a wooden plinth-form base, the base parcel gilt and inscribed to the front with Latin text. While each Atlas is formed from patinated bronze, the burdens they carry are crafted from patinated and gilt bronze. The duo is a truly remarkable piece of 20th Century Neoclassical design—beautiful to look at and learned in composition.