WSBE Rhode Island PBS – 2010 Summer Art Sale
Auction Ends: Jun 28, 2010 11:59 PM EDT

Woodcut

CHARIOT RACE IN THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS - 1884 woodcut

Item Number
96
Estimated Value
150 USD
Opening Bid
65 USD

Item Description

It's the spectacle of Ancient Rome! This is a late-19th-Century woodcut of a portion of the epic painting, "Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus", by Alexander von Wagner. The original hangs in the art gallery of the city of Manchester, England and is the most famous work of this acclaimed Hungarian painter.

Von Wagner created his work in approximately 1882. Certainly the most dramatic chariot race in cinema history was in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur. It was based upon the Lew Wallace novel of the same name, published in 1880. Could there be a connection? It’s fascinating to speculate…

Item Special Note

This mint-condition woodcut print measures 8" x 11" and is matted in museum board. Overall dimensions are 16" x 20" in a black wood frame.

This is a donation from the collection of Stephan and Julia Brigidi of the Bristol Workshops in Photography, Bristol, RI.

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