The Wounded Gaul

The wounded Gaul, after the antique statue.

The wounded Gaul is an ancient work of art, depicting a wounded warrior, some thought at first a gladiator.

The original marble sculpture is a Roman copy of the bronze statue, commissioned in 220 BC by Attalos 1^st, of Pergamon, to honour his victory over the Galatians. 

It was rediscovered in the 16^th century, during excavations at the Villa Ludovisi, and was restored by Michelangelo, it was first recorded in 1623 in the collection of the powerful Ludovisi family of Rome. 

In 1797 the original was looted, and taken to Paris by Napoleon, it was returned to Rome in 1815, and is now on display in the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

The Dying Gaul original sculpture has been copied throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and excellent marble versions are on display at Versailles, Paris, Rousham house, Oxfordshire, and Walton house in Wiltshire.

Size.

32 cm tall

56 cm long

27 cm wide