A Young Warrior
Tullio Lombardo Italian
This youth clad in antique-styled armor may represent Saint George or Saint Theodore, Christian warriors who were especially venerated in Venice. He would have led a lance in his right hand and may have guarded a tomb. His energetic pose, twist of his head, and tensely held arms convey the alertness required of a guardian figure. Truthfulness to classical examples was esteemed in Renaissance Venice; this sculptor paid particular attention to rendering the delicately textured scrolling vines that decorate the breastplate, and even carved the laces that hold the metal sleeves together. He left the back unfinished, which indicates it was originally installed in a niche or against a wall.
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