Ferdinando Vichi (Italian, 1875–1945)
The Discus Thrower (after the antique)
Marble, late 19th century
Height: 63 in. Width: 29 in. Depth: 15 in.
This commanding white marble sculpture of a discus thrower is a reinterpretation of Discobolus, the celebrated Greek bronze attributed to Myron (c. 450 BCE). With idealized musculature and dynamic pose, the figure exemplifies classical balance and proportion. The head is turned incorrectly in this and many other 19th-century versions, a mistake introduced during early restorations of the Roman marble copy in the British Museum.
The sculpture bears the signature of F. Vichi, Firenze and comes from the collection of Adolph Sutro—Prussian-born engineer, real estate magnate, and 24th mayor of San Francisco. Sutro amassed a vast collection of statuary, books, and artifacts, many of which were displayed at his estate, Sutro Heights. He transformed the cliffs above the Cliff House and Sutro Baths into a public garden filled with classical statuary, including this piece. After Sutro’s death in 1898 and the eventual closure of his properties, works from his collection were sold in a public auction in 1971, preserving fragments of San Francisco’s eclectic cultural past.
