A bronze model of a lion attacking a horse
A bronze model of a lion attacking a horse
Cast bronze with golden brown patina, gilding, white and green marble (possibly serpentine). Resting on a moulded scalloped plinth with feet designed as scallop shells. H 9.3, W ca. 15.5 cm, H with base 13, W 24 cm.
Attributed to Florence, 17th century.
The prototype of this bronze is the monumental ancient marble figure housed in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The work is only preserved in fragments and was restored and completed during the 16th century. The masterpiece depicts a frightened horse collapsing under the attack of a lion, which bites viciously into the body of its prey. The powerful motif of the work was understood as a battle between noble creatures and as an allegory of victory and defeat. The Hellenistic marble group was transferred from its location in the Piazza del Campidoglio to the courtyard of the Palazzo Conservatori in around 1600, it already looked back on a long history of artistic reception. The work's fame was increased by the production of bronze statues reinterpreting the motif in a smaller format. These pieces are closely linked to the workshop of the great Florentine Mannerist sculptor Giambologna (1529 - 1608) and his assistants Antonio Susini and Pietro Tacca. These reproductions were enormously popular and demanded production in a series of casts in varying sizes with different degrees of chasing and patination. The marble sculpture was also publicised in prints. The engraver Adamo Scultori (1530 - 1585) featured it on page 175 of his Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (Mirror of Roman Magnificence). The Speculum consisted of a collection of prints illustrating the artworks, architecture and views of ancient and modern Rome. The sheets could be purchased by travellers and collectors either individually or together as an album.
Literature
For more on this motif see J. Paul Getty Trust, "Lion Attacking a Horse from the Capitoline Museums, Rome", 2012. Cf. also Milestonerome, The forgotten symbol of municipal Rome, online 26th April 2015.
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A bronze model of a lion attacking a horse
Cast bronze with golden brown patina, gilding, white and green marble (possibly serpentine). Resting on a moulded scalloped plinth with feet designed as scallop shells. H 9.3, W ca. 15.5 cm, H with base 13, W 24 cm.
Attributed to Florence, 17th century.
The prototype of this bronze is the monumental ancient marble figure housed in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The work is only preserved in fragments and was restored and completed during the 16th century. The masterpiece depicts a frightened horse collapsing under the attack of a lion, which bites viciously into the body of its prey. The powerful motif of the work was understood as a battle between noble creatures and as an allegory of victory and defeat. The Hellenistic marble group was transferred from its location in the Piazza del Campidoglio to the courtyard of the Palazzo Conservatori in around 1600, it already looked back on a long history of artistic reception. The work's fame was increased by the production of bronze statues reinterpreting the motif in a smaller format. These pieces are closely linked to the workshop of the great Florentine Mannerist sculptor Giambologna (1529 - 1608) and his assistants Antonio Susini and Pietro Tacca. These reproductions were enormously popular and demanded production in a series of casts in varying sizes with different degrees of chasing and patination. The marble sculpture was also publicised in prints. The engraver Adamo Scultori (1530 - 1585) featured it on page 175 of his Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (Mirror of Roman Magnificence). The Speculum consisted of a collection of prints illustrating the artworks, architecture and views of ancient and modern Rome. The sheets could be purchased by travellers and collectors either individually or together as an album.
Literature
For more on this motif see J. Paul Getty Trust, "Lion Attacking a Horse from the Capitoline Museums, Rome", 2012. Cf. also Milestonerome, The forgotten symbol of municipal Rome, online 26th April 2015.
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Time, Location
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