Dimensions: object: 886 x 483 x 286 mm, 118.5 kg
Copyright: © The Gilbert Bayes Charity | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This striking bronze sculpture is titled "Sigurd" by Gilbert Bayes. There’s no date, but it's held at the Tate. I’m captivated by the energy and the way the horse rears up. What's your take on this powerful figure? Curator: Oh, he's a figure of pure drama, isn't he? I always find myself wondering what story Bayes wanted to tell, the one frozen in this bronze moment. Is Sigurd triumphant? Or perhaps, on the verge of something… more complicated? Editor: That's a good point. He seems to be holding something in his hand, could it be a rein or a sword? Curator: Exactly. Bayes teases us. We see the mythic hero, but his story remains wonderfully ambiguous. Maybe that's the point. It invites our imagination to run as wild as Sigurd’s horse. Editor: That's helped me to see the drama and mystery in this work. Thanks for your insights.
Comments
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
tate about 1 month ago
⋮
William Morris's poem 'The Story of Sigurd the Volsung' (1877) was based on the Icelandic Sagas. It was well known but rarely the subject of works of art. It is quoted, around the base of this bronze, in Lombardic lettering. The shallow reliefs on the marble show on one side Brynhilde and on the other the death of Sigmund. Older sculptors, notably Alfred Gilbert, had made much in the 1890s of figures in medieval armour. Bayes here extended this interest to a dramatic pose and to decoration, adding coloured enamels to the bronze. Gallery label, February 2010
CollectMore like this
