Large Bronze Sculpture, *the Soldier Of Marathon*, After Jean-pierre Cortot (1787–1843)

The Soldier of Marathon Announcing Victory.
Based on a work by Jean-Pierre CORTOT (1787–1843)
Bronze cast with a nuanced brown patina from the 19th century.
Presented on its marble base.
This remarkable bronze sculpture depicts the Greek messenger Pheidippides at the climax of ancient drama.
Combining the rigor of Neoclassicism with the expressive fervor of the Romantic movement, the work captures the precise moment when the hero collapses onto the ground in Athens.
Exhausted by his frantic run from the plains of Marathon, he gathers his last strength to raise a laurel branch and breathe his last with a final cry of triumph: “We have won.”
The quality of the cast bronze renders with extreme precision the warrior’s athletic physique, the dramatic tension of his face turned toward the sky, as well as the masterful rendering of the drapery of his tunic and the military accoutrements (shield and sword) scattered on the ground.
In response to this enthusiasm, the greatest Parisian foundries of the time—foremost among them the prestigious Maison BARBEDIENNE—produced superb bronze reductions intended for collectors’ cabinets and bourgeois interiors in the second half of the 19th century.
The “Maison Barbedienne” signature and the attached reduction label guarantee a high-quality Parisian edition.