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 that would become his most commercially successful bronze editions. The two most significant — Persée and Asclépios — share a formal vocabulary: the chest is cut at the neck and at the waist, the arms truncated at the shoulders. The surface carries a rich green patina that deepens with age. Both are pierced by a rectangular aperture — a characteristic Mitoraj device. In Asclépios, god of medicine, the opening in the chest references the heart; in Persée, hero of Greek myth, the window functions as a void through which myth passes into the real.
Persée (Perseus) — 1988
Perseus carries a rectangular void at the left pectoral, opening through the chest. The torso leans very slightly forward. Signed MITORAJ on the lower right front, with edition number on the reverse (A-series or B-series, numbered to 1000, plus HC copies). The travertine base is rectangular, approximately 10 cm height. Recent auction results: Hampel, Aguttes, and Millon have sold Persée examples in the €2,500–€5,500 range.
Asclépios — 1988
Asclépios is the mirror companion to Persée: the aperture in the chest is positioned centrally and slightly lower, reinforcing the medical symbolism of Asclepius, the Greek deity whose rod entwined with a serpent is still the symbol of medicine today. Some examples carry a brown rather than green patina — a different patination choice made at the foundry. Both variants are equally desirable. Edition number stamped or incised on the reverse lower base.
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.
1988 · Ed. 1000 · 38 cm
1988 · Rarer variant · 38 cm
1988 · Ed. 1000 · 38 cm
Chest aperture close-up
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Persée, Asclépios, or any Mitoraj bronze torso. I respond within 24 hours.
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