Josue Dupon

After leaving the Academy at Antwerp, Dupon was a regular exhibitor in the Belgian Salons, receiving the gold medal in 1891. Dupon’s design style and modeling technique can be compared with his close friend Rembrandt Bugatti.  With the present work, Dupon depicts a hoplomachus (a type of gladiator) posed as if about to  plunge his weapon downward, delivering a final blow to an unseen conquest.  Lithely muscled, wearing a peaked helmet, bearing a small shield, and carrying a long spear, the hoplomachus was renowned throughout the Classical world for his quick feet and ability to let loose a series of quick, sharp thrusts of his spear.  The present work may be a unique casting and follows in the monumental tradition of Dupon’s most renowned sculptures.