Teucer (Modeled 1880-81, cast 1891): Artwork and History

Teucer (Modeled 1880-81, cast 1891) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Hamo Thornycroft (English, 1850–1925).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

This imposing bronze captures the breathless moment just after Teucer, a celebrated Greek archer, has shot an arrow at a Trojan adversary. His muscles still tensed from drawing his bow, he tracks the arrow’s path, hoping his aim was true. Teucer was praised for its realism when it was first exhibited in London in 1881. Chicago collector and philanthropist George A. Armour, who owned a small replica of the composition, commissioned this full-scale bronze cast from the artist in 1891 and immediately gave it to the Art Institute of Chicago. It was among the earliest modern European sculptures to enter the museum’s collection.

Object facts

• Title: Teucer
• Date: Modeled 1880-81, cast 1891
• Artist attribution: Hamo Thornycroft (English, 1850–1925)
• Place of origin: England
• Medium: Bronze
• Dimensions: H.: 203.2 cm (80 in.); Base: Diam.: 68.6 cm (27 in.)
• Type: Sculpture
• Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe
• Reference number: 1891.80

Collection credit

Gift of George A. Armour

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.