Gallic Chieftain Killing His Wife and Himself

Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself is from the Roman Hellenistic era. It is actually a marble copy of the original bronze, which was made 220 BCE. It's height is a bit larger than life-size, at 6'11". The two people represented here are Gauls, which are a Celtic group of people during this time. The picture is a bit grainy, however, the figures are depicted on a pedestal, not unlike many other Roman sculptures. The detail given to these sculptures is exquisite and allows historians to achieve a great amount of information about it. For example, the hair is not kept well, therefore, historians deduce that they are considered barbarians during their time. While the Chieftain is supporting his wife, the sculpture still makes a person feel pity for the two figures. Also, a person could argue that since the man is supporting the woman, that he is dignified in his act; also, it shows that he really loves her. This special characteristic of Hellenistic art is called expressionism, which is that the artist purposely tries to make the work so that people who view it will feel a certain emotional response. Originally, this work was made with other sculptures that attached to it. However, they are now separated from each other. An example of a sculpture that was a part of the collection was Dying Gallic Trumpeter, which is speculated to have been created by an artist named Epigonos, and was found in Julius Ceasar's garden in Rome. Its qualities are similar to Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself because of the artist's success with expressionism. Gallic Chieftain Killing his Wife and Himself is located in the National Museum in Rome, while the Dying Gallic Trumpeter is in the Capitoline Museum, also in Rome. There is no doubt that the artist of these sculptures made them detailed and dramatic in order to cause people to feel a certain way towards them, and really appreciate what the artist has created.



Sources:

Stokstad, Marilyn (2008). Art History: A View of the West. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.