Igor Mitoraj — Persée & Asclépios

The Persée (Perseus) and Asclépios bronze torsos — both from 1988 — are among the most elegant and collected works in Mitoraj's extensive bronze catalogue. Green-patinated, signed, on travertine bases, these two companion pieces represent the artist at the height of his Pietrasanta period. If you own either or both, I am an active buyer at fair market prices.

About the 1988 Torso Series

In 1988 Mitoraj produced a group of truncated male torsos in the Pietrasanta foundries — working with the Fonderia Mariani and related Tuscan bronze casters — that would become his most commercially successful editions. The two most significant are Persée and Asclépios: companion pieces sharing a formal vocabulary of truncation, classical reference, and the rectangular chest aperture that recurs throughout Mitoraj's entire career as a structural signature. Both were conceived and first cast in 1988 and have been consistently represented at European auction since the mid-1990s. Each is mounted on a travertine base — a deliberate material choice by the artist, as travertine is the stone of the Roman Colosseum and the ancient world made physically present.

Names in Other Languages

Both works are sold and documented under several name variants depending on the country of sale:

• Persée (French, most common in auction catalogues) · Perseus (English, German, Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian) · Perseo (Italian, Spanish)
• Asclépios (French) · Asclepius (English) · Asklepios (German, Greek) · Asclepio (Italian, Spanish) · Eskulap (Polish) · Asklepios (Scandinavian)

When searching auction databases, it is worth querying all variants — catalogues at German and Polish houses often use the Latinised or vernacular form rather than the French. The works also occasionally appear under the broader descriptor Torso or Torso masculin in older French catalogues.

Edition Structure and Authentication

Both Persée and Asclépios were produced in a main edition of 1000 plus 30 HC (hors commerce) copies. The edition number is typically found on the rear lower surface of the bronze, either incised or stamped: format NNN/1000 for the main edition, or HC NN/30 for hors commerce copies. The artist's signature MITORAJ appears on the front lower right of the sculpture, incised with varying depth depending on the casting batch.

The foundry stamp — typically reading Fonderia Mariani Pietrasanta or variants thereof — should be present on the rear or base. Its absence is not necessarily disqualifying for earlier castings, but its presence is a positive authentication marker. Artcurial, which held the primary commercial relationship with Mitoraj in France, has records of many edition bronzes and can assist with provenance verification on request.

There are no known authorised re-editions of either Persée or Asclépios. Works presented as later casts, or without foundry marks, should be treated with caution unless accompanied by solid documentation.

Selling Persée or Asclépios

I own both Persée and Asclépios and understand their value very well. If you are considering selling either piece, I can make a prompt and fair offer. The presence of the original travertine base adds value, but I buy pieces without bases equally. No certificate is required.

From the Collection — Photographs

The following photographs show examples of Persée and Asclépios from the collection — both the standard green-patina variant and the rarer brown-patina version, alongside a close detail of the chest aperture.

Persée (1988) — Brown Patina

Ed. 1000 · 38 cm · warm brown patina

Asclépios (1988) — Brown Patina

1988 · Ed. 1000 · 38 × 28 × 14 cm

Persée (1988) — Trio

Three Persée bronzes · Ed. 1000

Persée — Additional View

1988 · second angle

Additional Collection Views

Persée (1988) — Second AngleGreen patina · showing chest aperture depth

Persée & Asclépios Together1988 pair · both on travertine bases

Persée (1988)Chest aperture visible · travertine base

Persée (1988) — Second ViewFull torso · travertine base

Asclépios (1988)1988 · signed MITORAJ · travertine base

The Mythology of Persée and Asclépios

Mitoraj chose Perseus and Asclepius — two of Greek mythology's most resonant figures — as the subjects for his most commercially successful bronze series. Perseus (Persée) was the hero who slew Medusa by viewing her reflection in his shield, averting the direct gaze that turned mortals to stone. Asclepius (Asclépios) was the god of medicine and healing, whose symbol — a serpent entwined around a rod — remains the emblem of medicine to this day. The chest aperture in Asclépios refers directly to this medical identity: a window into the heart, the organ that Asclepius governs.

By choosing these two figures for a paired series on travertine bases, Mitoraj created a dialogue: the warrior hero and the healer god, both truncated, both pierced, both silent. The void in the chest — present in both works, positioned differently — is Mitoraj's most recurring structural device: a literal opening in the body through which sky, light, or another space becomes visible.

Identifying Green vs Brown Patina Variants

Both Persée and Asclépios were produced in two primary patina variants: green oxide (the standard finish) and warm brown (a less common alternative patination applied at the foundry). Both are equally authentic; the patina choice was made during the finishing process at Pietrasanta. Green-patinated examples are more common in the secondary market and represent the work as most people know it. Brown-patinated examples are slightly rarer and attract collectors who prefer the warmer, more tactile quality of the surface. At auction, brown patina examples occasionally achieve small premiums over green, but the difference is not consistent. Both variants carry the same signature, edition number, and foundry marks.

The Travertine Base — Completeness and Value

The original travertine base is a significant component of both works. Travertine — the warm cream-beige sedimentary stone quarried near Tivoli, outside Rome — was chosen by Mitoraj specifically for its classical associations: it is the stone from which the Colosseum is built. The base is not merely functional but thematic. Examples that retain the original travertine base in good condition achieve more at auction than equivalent pieces without the base. The base dimensions vary slightly across castings but are typically rectangular, approximately 25 × 18 × 10 cm. Missing or replaced bases (marble, wood, or other stone) are a notable deduction from the catalogue value.

See also: All Mitoraj bronzes wanted · Centurione series · Auction price guide