Workshop of Antonio Susini (Florence 1558 - 1624 Florence) After a model by Giambologna (Douai 1527-1608 Florence) Italian, Florence, first half 17th century

Morgante

Lot Closed

January 30, 07:29 PM GMT

Estimate

30,000 - 50,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Workshop of Antonio Susini (Florence 1558 - 1624 Florence)

After a model by Giambologna (Douai 1527-1608 Florence)

Italian, Florence, first half 17th century

Morgante

Bronze

height 5in.; 12.7cm., upon a variegated marble socle

Trinity Fine Art, London, 1994, no. 53

C. Avery, 'Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Alexis Gregory Collection,' Harvard University Art Museums Bulletin, vol. IV, no. 1, Fall 1995, exhibition catalogue, Cambridge, Fogg Art Museum, 13 January - 22 June , pp. 64-55, no. 38;
M. Leithe-Jasper and P. Wengraf, European Bronzes from the Quentin Collection, exhibition catalogue, The Frick Collection, New York, 2004, no. 14, p. 162

Morgante (c. 1535-after 1594) was the celebrated court dwarf of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and he was portrayed numerous times by the most important artists in the Medici court including Bronzino in his double sided portrait in the Uffizi; Valerio Cioli in a large-scale sculpture of Morgante astride a turtle in the Boboli gardens (dating to the 1560's); and by Giambologna in small scale bronze statuettes, including the present model and a Morgante on a dragon in the Bargello (cast in 1582).

Anthony Radcliffe suggested that the present model was created by Giambologna in the 1580's and the extant casts can be divided into two variants: the first (Type A) with cornetto and walking stick and the second (Type B) where Morgante appears as Bacchus holding a wine cup, as seen in the present model. Leithe-Jasper and Wengraf (cf. pp. 162-165) expanded upon Radcliffe's categorization of the two variants, noting that Type B may be a slightly later version of the subject.

The present cast is finely chased with beautiful details including the modeling in the hair and beard and retains some of its orange-gold translucent lacquer typical of bronzes from Florence, in this period and particularly those from the Giambologna and Susini workshops.

RELATED LITERATURE

C. Avery and A. Radcliffe, Giambologna 1529-1608: Sculptor to the Medici, exhibition catalogue, London, Vienna and Edinburgh, 1978, nos. 50-5, pp. 101-105;

B. Paolozzi Strozzi and D. Zikos, Giambologna gli dei, gli eroi, exhibition catalogue, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, 2006, p. 352, no. 5