Title

Comedy And Tragedy: Sic Vita, modeled 1891-92, cast c1902-05. Creator: Alfred Gilbert.

Caption

Comedy And Tragedy: Sic Vita, modeled 1891-92, cast c1902-05. This boy’s twisting pose encourages us to walk around him, where we discover the cause of his pained expression, a bee stinging his leg. If we look at the boy’s face through the mouth of the theatrical mask he carries, however, he appears to be laughing. The ingenious composition encapsulates the two opposing aspects of drama: comedy and tragedy. In Latin, sic vita means "such is life."

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Reference

HRM24A23_155

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

50,5Mb (1,2Mb) / 10,7in x 18,4in / 3200 x 5512 (300dpi)

Keywords

animal England people male boy boys child children looking man men mask historical arts country metal naked nude figure figures bronze insect insects art guy British museum English color bee bees design stinging decoration decorative drama craft crafts antique craftsmanship location century gallery statuette Britain comedy figurine artefact concept exhibition TRAGEDY theatrical exhibit decorated artifact looking down nudity posture twisting looking back art museum art gallery nakedness Colour tragic 19th century Museum of Art 1900s 20th century nineteenth century culture history historic 1902 young man young men bronze Alfred Gilbert standing on one leg Applied Arts 1905 art centre Clark Art Institute Gilbert Alfred Heritage Art bee-sting Gilbert Alfred Sir 19th-century