Igor Mitoraj — Persée & Asclépios

The Persée (Perseus) and Asclépios bronze torsos — both from 1988 — are among the most elegant and collected works in Mitoraj's extensive bronze catalogue. Green-patinated, signed, on travertine bases, these two companion pieces represent the artist at the height of his Pietrasanta period. If you own either or both, I am an active buyer at fair market prices.

About the 1988 Torso Series

In 1988 Mitoraj produced a group of truncated male torsos in the Pietrasanta foundries that would become his most commercially successful bronze editions. The two most significant — Persée and Asclépios — share a formal vocabulary: the chest is cut at the neck and at the waist, the arms truncated at the shoulders. The surface carries a rich green patina that deepens with age. Both are pierced by a rectangular aperture — a characteristic Mitoraj device. In Asclépios, god of medicine, the opening in the chest references the heart; in Persée, hero of Greek myth, the window functions as a void through which myth passes into the real.

Selling Persée or Asclépios

I own both Persée and Asclépios and understand their value very well. If you are considering selling either piece, I can make a prompt and fair offer. The presence of the original travertine base adds value, but I buy pieces without bases equally. No certificate is required.

From the Collection — Photographs

The following photographs show examples of Persée and Asclépios from the collection — both the standard green-patina variant and the rarer brown-patina version, alongside a close detail of the chest aperture.

Persée (1988) — Brown Patina

Ed. 1000 · 38 cm · warm brown patina

Asclépios (1988) — Brown Patina

1988 · Ed. 1000 · 38 × 28 × 14 cm

Asclépios (1988) — Green Patina

1988 · Ed. 1000 · 38 × 28 × 14 cm

Persée — Additional View

1988 · second angle

Additional Collection Views

Persée (1988) — Second AngleGreen patina · showing chest aperture depth

Persée & Asclépios Together1988 pair · both on travertine bases

The Mythology of Persée and Asclépios

Mitoraj chose Perseus and Asclepius — two of Greek mythology's most resonant figures — as the subjects for his most commercially successful bronze series. Perseus (Persée) was the hero who slew Medusa by viewing her reflection in his shield, averting the direct gaze that turned mortals to stone. Asclepius (Asclépios) was the god of medicine and healing, whose symbol — a serpent entwined around a rod — remains the emblem of medicine to this day. The chest aperture in Asclépios refers directly to this medical identity: a window into the heart, the organ that Asclepius governs.

By choosing these two figures for a paired series on travertine bases, Mitoraj created a dialogue: the warrior hero and the healer god, both truncated, both pierced, both silent. The void in the chest — present in both works, positioned differently — is Mitoraj's most recurring structural device: a literal opening in the body through which sky, light, or another space becomes visible.

Identifying Green vs Brown Patina Variants

Both Persée and Asclépios were produced in two primary patina variants: green oxide (the standard finish) and warm brown (a less common alternative patination applied at the foundry). Both are equally authentic; the patina choice was made during the finishing process at Pietrasanta. Green-patinated examples are more common in the secondary market and represent the work as most people know it. Brown-patinated examples are slightly rarer and attract collectors who prefer the warmer, more tactile quality of the surface. At auction, brown patina examples occasionally achieve small premiums over green, but the difference is not consistent. Both variants carry the same signature, edition number, and foundry marks.

The Travertine Base — Completeness and Value

The original travertine base is a significant component of both works. Travertine — the warm cream-beige sedimentary stone quarried near Tivoli, outside Rome — was chosen by Mitoraj specifically for its classical associations: it is the stone from which the Colosseum is built. The base is not merely functional but thematic. Examples that retain the original travertine base in good condition achieve more at auction than equivalent pieces without the base. The base dimensions vary slightly across castings but are typically rectangular, approximately 25 × 18 × 10 cm. Missing or replaced bases (marble, wood, or other stone) are a notable deduction from the catalogue value.

See also: All Mitoraj bronzes wanted · Centurione series · Auction price guide