Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • Collection
  • Collection Research
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Watch / Listen / Read

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum
Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 / 28 Next image
  • A realistic terracotta statue depicting a muscular, bearded man sitting in a dynamic pose and leaning over to hold a vessel with a creatures face situated between his legs.
  • Terracotta statue depicting a realistically carved muscular bearded man facing left, his bent arm supporting him from behind while his leg wraps over the vessel he’s leaning over to hold.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting the back of a muscular man leaning over while sitting, his bent arm supporting him against a rough pedestal he sits atop.
  • Realistic terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man facing away to the left, his bent arm supporting him while his leg sits over a vessel with a curved handle underneath.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man facing left, sitting and leaning over a vessel he’s holding between his legs while keeping his body in tension.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture of a muscular man sitting on a rough pedestal and leaning over a vessel he’s holding between his legs which are spread to accommodate it.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man facing left, sitting and leaning over a vessel he’s holding between his legs while keeping his body in tension.
  • Terracotta statue depicting a realistically carved, muscular bearded man sitting, his body tense as he holds a rounded vessel with a creatures face between his legs.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man sitting and leaning over to hold a vessel between his legs, one of which is wrapped over top of it.
  • Realistic terracotta sculpture of a muscular bearded man sitting and leaning over in a dynamic pose, with his right arm stretched down to the base and his left arm behind supporting him.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting the back of a muscular man leaning over while sitting, his bent arm supporting him against a rough pedestal he sits atop.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man sitting and leaning over to hold a vessel between his legs, one of which is wrapped over top of it.
  • Realistic terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man facing away to the left, his bent arm supporting him while his leg sits over a vessel he bends down to hold.
  • Realistically carved terracotta sculpture depicting a muscular bearded man sitting facing right,  one arm bent behind him in support as he leans over to hold the vessel between his legs.
  • Monochrome image of a realistically carved statue depicting a muscular, bearded man sitting and leaning over to hold a vessel with a creatures face situated between his legs.

Giambologna

River God (The Virile Age; The Euphrates)
Now On View

Maker

Giambologna (Flemish, 1529-1608)

Title

River God (The Virile Age; The Euphrates)

Year

ca. 1575

Medium

  • terracotta

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • terracotta

Materials

terracotta

Dimensions

48.3 x 43.5 x 31.8 cm (19 x 17 1/8 x 12 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund and Museum Special Reserve Fund

Object Number

44.674

Type

  • Sculpture

Publications

  • Books

Selected Works

Exhibition History

European Galleries
Sep 02, 2017

Label copy

This ceramic sculpture of a river god glorifies the human body, a key interest of Humanism. Balancing on one foot, the figure creates an impression of exaggerated physical strength.

The artist made the work as a model for his Fountain of the Ocean, a multi-figural monument commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici for the Boboli Gardens, adjacent to his palace in Florence. This figure may have been presented by the artist to his patron in gratitude for the commission, and perhaps in homage to his patron’s virility.

Intermission
Dec 16, 2016 – Jul 02, 2017
The Natural World, the Body, and the Divine
Feb 03, 2006 – Apr 16, 2006
From the Reserve I
Paintings of Quality from the Museum's Collection
Apr 09, 1994 – Aug 03, 1994

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Giambologna (Flemish, 1529-1608)
River God (The Virile Age; The Euphrates), ca. 1575
Terracotta
48.3 x 43.5 x 31.8 cm (19 x 17 1/8 x 12 1/2 inches)
Museum Works of Art Fund and Museum Special Reserve Fund 44.674

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Main Navigation

  • Visit

    • Hours & Admission
    • Accessibility & Amenities
    • Tours & Group Visits
    • Visitor Guidelines
  • Art & Design

    • Collection Research
    • Collection
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Join / Give

    • Become a Member
    • Give
  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Events
  • Watch / Listen / Read

    • The Latest
    • Publications
    • Articles
    • Audio & Video

Footer Secondary Navigation

  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use
Tickets
Homepage
Go to the risd.edu homepage. This link will open in a new window.