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This exquisite small bronze came to Dresden as personal gift given by Giambologna to Christian I in 1587. Depicted as heroic nude, armed only with a sword (his right hand holds the grip of the lost weapon), the god of war commands respect through his domineering posture, thus appearing as a symbol of masculinity and monarchical sovereignty. The statuette is the earliest documented cast of the model. It was restituted to the Wettin family in 1924 and was re-acquired in 2018.