Italian, probably Florence, 18th century | After the Antique | Bust of Brutus

This beautifully cast bronze bust follows the famous antique Capitoline Brutus in the Musei Capitolini in Rome. The original was discovered in the 16th century and was given to the city of Rome in 1564 by Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi. The bust was initially identified as one of the supposed founders of the Roman Republic, Lucius Junius Brutus (fl. 6th century BC), on the basis of comparison with coins and the stern expression. However, the bust is now believed to be a 3rd-1st-century BC Central Italian portrait of an unidentified man influenced by Hellenistic Greek sculpture. The present bust is particularly beautifully cast in the hair and is reminiscent of reductions by master sculptor Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740).