Gaddi Torso

The marble Gaddi Torso displayed in the Classical Sculpture Room of the Uffizi, Florence, is a Hellenistic sculpture of the 2nd century BCE.

Description

Its dynamic tension and unusually refined modelling place it among sculptures of the Pergamene school.

Formerly considered to be the torso of a satyr when it was in the Gaddi collection, Florence, the sculpture is now thought to represent a centaur straining against his bonds, a theme that was represented several times in Hellenistic art, as it was an emblem of civilized control of Man's baser nature. The torso was very likely discovered in Rome, according to Giovanni Di Pasquale and Fabrizio Paolucci. It was certainly already in the collections of the Florentine Gaddi family in the early 16th century, when Florentine artists and sculptors knew it. The sculpture appears on a pedestal, among other vestiges of shattered Classical pagan culture, in the Adoration of the Shepherds that was painted in 1515 by the Bolognese painter Amico Aspertini, now in the Uffizi.Rosso Fiorentino's Deposition of the Dead Christ (Boston Museum of Fine Arts) has been inspired by careful study of the Gaddi Torso. Its powerful, reaching and twisting musculature was a stimulus also to the young Michelangelo, whose mature style the Gaddi Torso seems to anticipate. The Gaddi Torso remained with the Gaddi heirs until it was sold, still in its untouched fragmentary condition, to Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1778.

Gaddi

The Gaddis are a tribe living mainly in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. They are Hindus and belong to several castes including Brahmin, Rajput, Dhangar, Khatri, Rana and Thakur.

Gallery

Elderly Gaddi man at Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, 2004.

Elderly Gaddi man at Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh, 2004.

Gaddi man photographed near Dharamkote in 2004.

Gaddi man photographed near Dharamkote in 2004.

References

Further reading

External links

Gaddi (name)

Gaddi is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:

Surname:

Given name:

Gaddi (sheep)

Gaddi is a breed of domesticated sheep found in India. They are one of eight different breeds of sheep found in the northern temperate area of India. The Gaddi is raised primarily for its wool.

Characteristics

The Gaddi ram is horned while the ewes are found horned only 10 - 15% of the time. The tail is small and thin. The breed is considered medium sized. The Gaddi ewe averages 56 cm at the withers and weighs on average 26.5 kg. Lambs at birth weigh 2.5 kg and there is no difference in average birth weight between rams or ewes. This breed is small in size. It is strong and a good climber. Ears are also short. Fleece is fine and can grow up to 5m length. Fleece is clip three times a year (Feb, June and October). Fleece yield is 1-1.5kg/year. Wool is used for making shawls and blankets.

Generally, the breed is uncolored and white. Occasionally, the Gaddi can be found mixed tan, brown and black.

References