Italian Artist, Minotaurs, 17th Century, Carrara Marble Sculptures, Set of 2

Description

Pair of amazing Italians Minotauro Sculptures Minotaur, large marble figure, Italy, 17th century, figure with a human body and the … more Pair of amazing Italians Minotauro Sculptures Minotaur, large marble figure, Italy, 17th century, figure with a human body and the head of a bull, baroque style, white slightly speckled Carrara marble, light brown rectangular base, Measures: total height 117 cm, Sculpture height 77 cm, weight approx. 300 kg, Very decorative, Provenance: from a German private collection. The Minotaur (from the Greek ????ta???? [Minotaurs]) is a monster from Greek mythology, with the body of a man and the head of a bull. His name means "Bull of Minos", and he was the son of Pasiphae and the Bull of Crete. He was locked in a labyrinth designed by the craftsman Daedalus, made expressly to keep him located in the city of Knossos on the island of Crete. For many years, seven men and seven other women were taken to the labyrinth as a sacrifice to be the beast's food, until his life ended at the hands of the hero Theseus. The fourteen young people were interned in the labyrinth, where they wandered lost until they were found by the Minotaur. The myth has its most complete version in the Mythological Library of Apollodorus. Bust of the Minotaur in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. There were several versions about the affront that caused the wife of Minos, Pasífae, to have the need to join the Bull of Crete, feeling for him a senseless passion which led to her pregnancy. The most widespread version says that Minos, son of Zeus, asked for support from the god Poseidon so that his people would acclaim him as an early king, since his father Asterion was the ancient and deceased king of Crete. Poseidon listened to him and made a beautiful white bull rise from the seas, which Minos promised to sacrifice in his name. However, Minos being amazed by the qualities of the beautiful white bull, he hid it among his herd and sacrificed another bull in his place hoping that the god of the ocean would not notice the change. Knowing this, Poseidon was filled with rage, and to take revenge, he inspired in Pasiphae a desire as unusual as it was irrepressible for the beautiful white bull that Minos kept for himself. To consummate her union with the bull, Pasiphae required the help of Daedalus, who built a wooden cow covered in real cowhide for her to climb into. The bull lay with her, thinking she was a real cow. from this union the Minotaur was born. The labyrinth of Crete The Minotaur only ate human flesh, and as he grew older he became more savage. When the monster became uncontrollable, Daedalus built the Labyrinth of Crete, a gigantic structure made up of countless numbers of corridors going in different directions, crisscrossing each other, only one of which led to the center of the structure, where the Minotaur was abandoned. At the same time that the labyrinth enclosed the Minotaur, one of the sons of Minos, Androgeo, was assassinated in Athens after an Olympic competition where he became champion. The king of Crete declared war on the Athenians. Minos attacked the Athenian territory and, helped by the plague that hit the besieged, conquered Megara and made Athens surrender. The victory of Minos imposed several conditions for the surrender, and it is said that the oracle of Delphi was the one who advised the Athenians to offer a tribute to Crete.4 Thus, one of the emerging conditions was to give seven ephebes and seven maidens as sacrifices for the Minotaur. There are several known versions about the frequency of this tribute: every year, every three years or every nine years. The fourteen young people were interned in the labyrinth, where they wandered lost for days until they met the Minotaur, serving him as food. The arrival of Theseus in Crete Theseus fighting the Minotaur. Years after the punishment was imposed on the Athenians, Theseus, son of Aegeus, set out to kill the Minotaur and thus free his homeland from Minos and condemn him. Two things are told about how Theseus came to enter the labyrinth of Crete. Some say that after helping Aegeus against the Palantids, Theseus learned of the sacrifice of the young men and decided himself to be part of the offering to face the beast. Another narration says that it was Minos himself who chose the young men who would serve as food for the Minotaur, 6 and, aware of the appreciation that Aegeus felt for Theseus, he wanted him to be devoured in the labyrinth. It was the third time that fourteen young Athenians, seven ephebes and seven maidens, were going to be sacrificed in favor of the monster,6 when Theseus arrived in Crete, 18 years after the Minotaur's terror began. Arriving in Crete, the young men were introduced to Minos. Theseus then met Ariadne, the king's daughter, who fell in love with him. The princess begged Theseus to refrain from fighting the Minotaur, as that would lead to certain death, but Theseus convinced her that he could defeat him. Ariadne, seeing the bravery of the young man, set out to help him, and devised a plan that would help Theseus find his way out of the labyrinth in case he defeated the beast.Actually, that plan was requested by Ariadne from Daedalus, who had managed to build the labyrinth in such a way that the only way out was to use a ball of thread, which Ariadne gave Theseus so that, once there was entered the labyrinth, tie a ball end to the entrance. Thus, as it penetrated the labyrinth, the thread would remember the path and, once it had killed the Minotaur, it would wind it up and find its way out. The end of the Minotaur[edit] Theseus went through the labyrinth until he met the Minotaur, killed him and to get out of it, he followed back the thread that Ariadne had given him. The stories do not always agree with each other on how the above happened. It is not clear, for example, what relationship there was between Theseus and Ariadne. The truth is that both conspired against Minos to end the life of the Minotaur, who was locked in the labyrinth and escape from Crete. It could have been just the love they had for each other, or the one she felt for Theseus, or simply that Theseus had promised Ariadne to take her out of Crete and take her with him. In the same way, there are versions and multiple representations that explain that Theseus killed the Minotaur not using his bare hands, but with the help of a sword that Ariadne secretly provided him with the ball of yarn before entering the labyrinth. According to this, Ariadne had been advised by Daedalus, the builder of the labyrinth. However, other sources indicate that Theseus killed the Minotaur with his fists, while other sources say that Theseus killed the Minotaur by stabbing him with his own horn. There is no unanimity. not even in how it was that Theseus managed to get out of the labyrinth, although the most generalized way is through Ariadne's thread (which has inspired the figure of speech of the same name), but other stories say that Theseus managed to escape thanks to the light of the golden crown that he obtained from Amphitrite in an adventure in the sea, which guided him in the labyrinth. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution less