Rarely in the rich tapestry of my forty year career as an interior designer have I had so singular a brief... from a client who had acquired a series of life size bronze statuary....
"Please could you provide for each of the named warriors, their weapons and shields?"
Poseidon was not too difficult to identify, though the length of gas piping currently serving as a spear didn't quite represent his legendary power capable of shaking the earth.
The figure with his arm raised could have held a measuring device or caduceus but as the original figure was recovered from the sea off Antikythera Greece with nothing in either hand this was anyones guess.
The other two warriors were also recovered from coastal waters as recently as 1972, off Calabria and were given the working title of the Riace bronzes and again were unarmed when found.
It occurred to me there was a pattern here...
Were the originals plundered for their weapons and dumped? If so should we contrive to restore their armaments at all? The debate ensued between the client and my associate Kevin Beales and myself to and fro over following weeks into months. Finally it was Kevin, a specialist in making, in resin, copies of antique furniture, mirrors and lighting who speculated that the Antikytheran youth may actually have been the hero who slayed Medusa, and the raised arm held aloft the severed head.
The client needed no convincing and readily accepted the hypothesis.
Next was to replicate the bronze colour and patination but a past master at this, Kevin achieved just that. In September 2022 the installation you see was finally realised to the eminent satisfaction of another grateful customer.
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