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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Nessus and Deianira

late 16th or early 17th century

Antonio Susini, after a model by Giovanni Bologna

Associated Names

Antonio Susini

Artist, Italian, active 1572, died 1624

Giovanni Bologna

Artist After, Flemish, 1529 - 1608

The sculpture depicts a scene involving two figures, one of which is a centaur. The centaur is rearing on its hind legs with a human-like upper body and a horse-like lower body. There is a muscular male figure engaged with the centaur. The sculpture is crafted from dark bronze, highlighting the details of the figures. The musculature of both beings is highly defined, creating a sense of movement and intensity. The base provides stability for the figures above.

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Artwork overview

Medium

bronze
Credit Line

Gift of Robert H. Smith/Robert H. Smith Collection
Dimensions

height: 43.5 cm (17 1/8 in.)
Accession Number

2022.181.26

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1998

A Collector's Cabinet, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: no. 108.

Bibliography

1998

A Collector's Cabinet. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998: no. 108.

2004

Radcliffe, Anthony and Nicholas Penny. Art of the Renaissance Bronze, 1500-1650. London, 2004: 155, 164-171, 234, repro. no. 26.

2015

Schmidt, Eike D., et al. Bronze, Boxwood, and Ivory in the Robert H. Smith Collection of Renaissance Sculpture. London, 2015: 5.

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