Peace

Harry Bates ARA 1850 - 1899

Summary

Part of a pair of relief panels, mounted in architectural frames of plain, dark wood, possibly mahogany, which were probably purpose-made and contemporary. The panel shows the full, standing figures of a male and female. The figure of the nude male, to the left, stands with his heels slightly raised from the ground as if poised for action; he wears a wreath upon his head and presents a horned tortoise, held with both hands, to the robed female figure to the right. She similarly stands on her toes, as if in dance, and carries a trailing laurel branch over her head. A pair to 'War', 1933.72.

Display Label

Peace 1877 Harry Bates 1850 - 99 Cast bronze This relief shows a Greco-Roman god, Hermes or Mercury, the messenger, who is here heralding peace after war. As he sings, he plays the lyre, which is his invention. It incorporates his attribute, a tortoise or turtle shell, which is a classical symbol of stability. Hermes head is crowned with a victor’s laurel wreath, which the accompanying figure may have given him as she appears to be a personification of victory. Bates was a stone carver and architectural decorator before he attended the Royal Academy Schools. In 1883 he won a travelling scholarship to Paris where he met Rodin whose view of sculpture, as a means of expressing physical and emotional energy. greatly influenced his work. His works included many low reliefs like this one: its pendant War is also on display here. Guy Knowles gift 1933.73