This is the Suicide Gaul, one of the masterpieces setting in the great Palazzo Altemps Museum. This chest of artistic wonders, mainly Greek and Roman ones, has an amazing collection. Its core is represented by the so-called "Ludovisi Collection". It is nothing other than the collection of works of art owned by this noble family, which even gave popes to the Church of Rome. But today it is time to describe one of the best elements of this gorgeous art collection.

The Suicide Gaul is a sculptural group from the I century b.C. and it is a roman copy of the bronze Gaul made at the end of the III century b.C. by the sculptor Epigono. To him were commissioned a major monument to be built in Pergamon, a famous city-state in Greece, with its King, Attalus, who decided to commemorate his important victory against the Galatians, the barbarian population which tried to face Pergamon. And what better way to claim its victory, emphasizing the crushing defeat suffered by the enemies, the Galatians, if not that of commissioning a work of architecture beautiful, full of sculptural groups different? It is not a case, in fact, that at the Capitoline Museums we have, for example, the so-called Dying Gaul, the other marble statue coming from the same matrix (click here to know more about this masterpiece).

Here we have a Galata, in nakedness heroic, sticking the sword in the shoulder. The tip of the weapon has already disappeared and the entrance in the meat. His face expressed great suffering, but firmness and composure in his extreme gesture, the suicide, which for Galata is the only road to follow. The fact that he was defeated, though not to be caught by the soldiers of Attalos prefers to take his own life, with honor. Seal with the strength from his left hand, furthermore, we see the figure of the semi expanse of the wife of Galata. In her we see not life, but death. The man has already killed his companion, whose face does not show through most any emotion if not a little grimace. The head tilted completely to one side, with the body almost seems to getting weaker and ready to fall to the ground. Awesome is the voltage of the Gaul's body, with the muscles in full view and in detail, a tension that seems to be in total harmony with the lifeless body of the woman. Life and death, action and surrender, a fantastic marble interpretation that describes values such as courage, firmness, honor, surrender, defeat. It's impressive dynamism and almost the violence of the movements of him, whose face is completely turned away from a part, in order to allow the sword to stick better in the flesh. An extreme movement and fast which gives dynamism to the entire sculpture.

And now it is time for a final curiosity: it is interesting to note the way in which this suicide is staged (both in the version of the bronze original which in this marble, being a roman copy), coincides with the words written by the Quinto Smirneo in his epic poem called the "Posthomerica" (translated as "The continuation of Homer"). Written at the beginning of the III century b.C., therefore before the implementation of the original Suicide Gaul commissioned by Attalos, this work is divided into 14 books, and basically it resumes the narration starting from the end of the IIliade of Homer, and then with the fall of Troy and its destruction. And curious to read as follows: "The entire city in ash is reduced. The Trojans some by the sons of the Argives were slain, and others from the deadly fire and from their homes, where for them a cruel fate, and the tomb is in captivity; others, instead, with swords in its throat pierced and having seen the fire along with the enemies in front of the doors; still others, having slain together with his sons and the wives fell, having accomplished the to need the indomitable gesture...". Doesn't seem to you the description of what we can admire today at the Palazzo Altemps in Rome?