Mars, bust in polychrome marbles

Exceptional bust in polychrome marbles, sardony and hard stones, representing the god Mars in cuirass with a helmet decorated with a salamander or a dragon (allegory of fire) and the mask of the medusa in low relief on the chest. Grey marble cuirass, red chalcedony face, calcite teeth.

Apart from its aesthetic qualities, this bust bears witness to two strong currents at the end of the 19th century:
- The renaissance of polychrome sculpture which was very successful thanks to artists such as Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles Henri Joseph Cordier...
- The interest of artists for the expression of passions and physiognomy.


Mars (Ares) was the incarnation of the wild and brutal aspect of war in opposition to Minerva (Athena) who represented the order of the battle between civilized peoples.
Mars, assimilated to the Greek god Ares, had a sanctuary in Sparta dedicated to him under the name of Ares Theritas, i.e. "the Savage".