Minneapolis Institute of Art

La Guerre

Hubert Ponscarme

Date

1899

Medium

Bronze

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hubert Ponscarme was a master of low-relief small-format bronze sculpture. Here he expertly modulated between soft and sharp gradients of relief within a depth of only a few millimeters. The design is his version of the head of the goddess Roma on the silver denarius, a coin of the Roman Republic. To make her a representation of war, Ponscarme added the oak leaves of the Civic Crown, a Roman military decoration, to the winged Phrygian helmet, with its distinctive forward-facing crest. He also gave the goddess a frowning gaze, executed in tight, sharp planes that contrast with the soft contours of the crown, hair, and wings. France, Europe

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