The Pancratiast

The Pancratiast

Subject (Topic)
Roger Williams Park--Rhode Island--Providence
South Elmwood--Neighborhoods--Rhode Island--Providence
Monuments--Rhode Island--Providence

Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture

The Pancratiast sits atop a glossy red marble base in Roger Williams Park across from Pleasure Lake and Dalrymple Boathouse. The bronze statue is an image of a seated nude boxer who leans forward on his elbows, resting them on his thighs. He appears world-weary—his nose is broken, his lips seem swollen, and he has scars on his face. His well-muscled body reveals his strength but also his exhaustion through his slumped shoulders. Both hands are wrapped in boxing gloves.

On September 25, 1900, Paul Bajnotti donated the bronze cast of The Pancratiast to the City of Providence. The statue was then shown at the Rhode Island School of Design for two years before the Park Commission installed it in the park in October 1902.

The original, which was entitled Boxer at Rest (330-50 BCE), was discovered in 1885 during an archaeological dig near the ancient baths of Constantine in Rome, Italy. Enthralled with the statue, Bajnotti had a bronze facsimile of it made and then shipped to Providence. The Boxer at Rest is owned by the Palazzo Massimo, Museo Nazionale Romano.

Unknown
A. L. Kimball & Company (base)

Photographs by Eric Sung, Professor, Providence College

September 25, 1900
October 9, 1902

Paul Bajnotti (donor); Park Commission

City of Providence, 25 Dorrance Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States

JPEG

English

Visual Arts-Sculpture

Roger Williams Park, Maple and Pine Hill Avenues, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States

Engraving on red granite pedestal:
The Pancratiast
Presented to the
City of Providence
By
Paul Bajnotti
Turin, Italy
September 25, 1900

Bronze; Swedish red granite

"Art Treasures from Rome. Sent by Paul Bajnotti, Donor of the Brown Memorial Fountain." Providence Journal, August 3, 1900.

"The City Thanks. To Be Extended to Paul Bajnotti for His Valuable Gifts. Resolutions Passed by the Board of Aldermen. Statue of the Pancratiast to Remain Temporarily at the School of Design." Providence Journal, September 21, 1900.

"The Pancratiast. Famous Bronze Statue Set Up in Roger Williams Park." Providence Journal, October 11, 1902.

"Veracious Tale of Midnight Revel in Exchange Place." Providence Journal, March 8, 1904.

"Lack of Records Veils Origins of Park Statues." Providence Journal, January 3, 1932.

"In the Day’s Mail: Local Statuary." Providence Journal, May 12, 1948.

"Park Statues Return After Major Facelifts, Reconstructions." Providence Journal, January 15, 1989.

"Art for All Outdoors." Providence Journal, June 7, 2007.

Hemingway, Sean. "The Boxer: Ancient Masterpiece Comes to the MET." Perspectives, June 17, 2013. Accessed July 11, 2025. https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/the-boxer.

Department of Art, Culture, Tourism, City of Providence