June 2005 > Sports > Joseph Brown Bronzes
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Lot 1663: "Pieta" Boxer and Referee Bronze by Joseph Brown
ITEM DESCRIPTION
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The larger of Brown's two interwoven "Pieta" bronze masterworks is an incomparable boxing allegory, capturing the moment when the fight ends with one of the warriors on the canvas, unaware of where he is, but instinctively trying to get to his feet. The defeated fighter here wears the pained look of a man who realizes his fists are now useless, his legs unable to stand on their own, his wits scrambled, and that he needs help from the compassionate ref to get to his feet before he can deal with the reality of it all. These are feelings, of course, felt by Brown himself as an amateur fighter, thus the authenticity is real and palpable. Brown modeled the work on the Michelangelo sculpture of a dying Jesus.in the arms of God, using Classical Greek and Renaissance statuary as prototypes for the modern figures, thus there is a strong spiritual quality to the piece. The magnificent sculpture is 5 1/2 x 5 x 6" and is signed by Brown on the leg of the fighter. Figures are mounted on a beautifully finished 7 x 6 1/2 x 1" wooden base. One of the best and most important pieces of sports sculpture ever created, sure to entrance the eye, the heart and the soul.
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