HERO AND LEANDER BY PAUL GASQ

Gilded bronze sculpture depicting Leander, emerging from the waves to be kissed by his lover Hero. The momentum of the youthful bodies finally reunited after their ordeal is underlined by the dramatic movement of the petrified wave.

The story of Hero and Leander belongs to Greek mythology. Every night, Hero, priestess of Aphrodite in Sestos, lit a lamp at the top of a tower to guide her lover Leander as he swam out to her. One stormy night, the lamp went out and Leander drowned. In despair, Hero threw herself off the tower after finding Leander’s body on the shore.

French work circa 1900-1910.
Signed Paul Gasq.
Foundry Barbedienne.