Cast c.1841 after plaster model of 1831. Signed P.Grass (on right side of base). Inscribed 'ICARE. D'apres la statue en bronze detruite en 1870 à Strasbourg' on front edge of base. Foundry mark Eck et Durand (on back of base).

Icarus Making Trial of His Wings, modeled 1831

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In Greek legend, King Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus on the island of Crete as punishment for assisting the escape of the hero Theseus. A master craftsman, Daedalus constructed wings of wax and feathers to help the pair escape. Though warned by his father not to fly too close to the sun, Icarus cannot resist the temptation and plunges to his death when his wings melt. In this reduction of the life-sized original for the Paris Salon of 1831, Grasse depicts the young man at the moment of takeoff, arms straining upward and wings poised for flight.

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Grasse, Icarus Making Trial of his Wings (#840)
Details
Title
Icarus Making Trial of His Wings
Artist Life
1801 - 1876
Role
Artist
Accession Number
74.8
Curator Approved

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Cast c.1841 after plaster model of 1831. Signed P.Grass (on right side of base). Inscribed 'ICARE. D'apres la statue en bronze detruite en 1870 à Strasbourg' on front edge of base. Foundry mark Eck et Durand (on back of base).