Attributed to Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (active 1496 - before...
Attributed to Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (active 1496 - before 1538)
Italian, probably Padua, late 15th/ early 16th century
Venus
bronze, cast with an integral circular base, dark brown patina
27cm., 10⅝in.
Catalogue Note:
This statuette, of outstanding quality in both casting and chasing, is one of five known examples of the same model, which belongs to the Venus pudica type. It derives from a Greek prototype attributed to Praxiteles and known as the Aphrodite of Knidos. The goddess’s pose, modestly covering her nudity with her left hand, and her hair secured by a diadem, with two long locks falling over her shoulders, may also be compared with the antique marble Venus Felix preserved in the Musei Capitolini, Rome (inv. 936), of which Antico cast a superb reduction around 1510 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, inv. KK 5726). Praxiteles’ composition, known through numerous Roman bronze and marble statuettes, including the second-century AD Venus with Dolphin in the British Museum (inv. 1898,0519.1), was among the key models for Italian Renaissance sculptors. The finest of the small bronzes of this type, all cast in northern Italy around the turn of the 16th century, and probably the prototype formerly belonging to the collection of Charles Drury Edward Fortnum, is now held at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (inv. WA1899.CDEF.B411; 26.1cm high). Jeremy Warren attributes this exceptionally precise casting to Francesco Raibolini (circa 1450-1517), known as “il Francia”, a painter, goldsmith and sculptor from Bologna.
In addition to the Ashmolean Museum example and the present statuette, three other bronzes of the same model are known. One, attributed to the circle of Severo da Ravenna, is held at the Musée du Louvre (inv. OA 9119; 27cm. high); another, formerly in the collection of John Pierpont Morgan, in gilt bronze and attributed to Severo, is now at the Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh (inv. 1991.2; 26cm. high). The last one was recorded in the former Leon Bagrit collection, London, in the 1950s (whereabout unknown; see Y. Hackenbroch, op. cit., pp. 214–17). Another related small bronze, with variations, should also be mentioned: closer to the Venus Felix type, but holding a cornucopia, it formerly belonged to the collection of Henry Pfungst (Sotheby’s, New York, 23–24 November 1984, lot 92; whereabouts unknown). Finally, another variant derived from the Aphrodite of Knidos should be noted. This figure is unclothed, lacks both arms, and has her head slightly tilted to the right; a bronze example is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. Pl. 5600; 23.1cm. high).
The attribution of the present model has given rise to considerable debate. Although a consensus seems to have emerged around Francia, or his circle, for the Fortnum Venus, significant variations in casting quality, notable differences in facial features, and the uneven degree of surface finishing and cold-working among the known examples suggest that they originated from different foundries, all active in northern Italy, around Ravenna, Mantua and Padua, between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. To mention just one example, the Louvre bronze, which bears striking similarities to the present statuette, has at various times been attributed to an early 16th century Paduan workshop, associated with Andrea Riccio, compared with works by Antico and Bartolomeo Bellano, and, more recently, attributed to the workshop of Severo da Ravenna.
Severo da Ravenna was first documented in Ravenna in 1496; he was subsequently recorded in Padua from 1500 to 1509, before returning to Ravenna in 1511. The last recorded evidence of his activity is a payment received from Isabella d’Este in 1527 for a Hercules. Several bronzes by Severo da Ravenna were formerly attributed to Riccio, notably by Leo Planiscig. The present model was among them, although, according to Jeremy Warren, its invention should be credited to Francia. In light of the current state of research on small Italian Renaissance bronzes, the present bronze can be attributed to Severo da Ravenna, like the example in the Louvre. Nevertheless, the quality of the casting and the precision of the chasing, particularly evident in the treatment of the hair, appear superior in the present example.
We are deeply grateful to Dr Jeremy Warren for taking the time to examine the present bronze and for his invaluable assistance with the research and preparation of this catalogue entry.
RELATED LITERATURE
J. Warren, Renaissance Master Bronzes from the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Daniel Katz Gallery, Oxford 1999, no. 14, pp. 56-57;
J. Warren, The Beauty of Bronze, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, 2024, pp. 48-49, no. 9;
W. Bode, (reed.), J. D. Draper, The Italian Bronze statuettes of the Renaissance, New York, 1980, pl. XXII, p. 90;
C. Avery, Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in the Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh, 1993, pp. 43-47, no. 5;
P. Malgouyres, De Filarete à Riccio. Bronzes italiens de la...
Attributed to Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (active 1496 - before 1538)
Italian, probably Padua, late 15th/ early 16th century
Venus
bronze, cast with an integral circular base, dark brown patina
27cm., 10⅝in.
Catalogue Note:
This statuette, of outstanding quality in both casting and chasing, is one of five known examples of the same model, which belongs to the Venus pudica type. It derives from a Greek prototype attributed to Praxiteles and known as the Aphrodite of Knidos. The goddess’s pose, modestly covering her nudity with her left hand, and her hair secured by a diadem, with two long locks falling over her shoulders, may also be compared with the antique marble Venus Felix preserved in the Musei Capitolini, Rome (inv. 936), of which Antico cast a superb reduction around 1510 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, inv. KK 5726). Praxiteles’ composition, known through numerous Roman bronze and marble statuettes, including the second-century AD Venus with Dolphin in the British Museum (inv. 1898,0519.1), was among the key models for Italian Renaissance sculptors. The finest of the small bronzes of this type, all cast in northern Italy around the turn of the 16th century, and probably the prototype formerly belonging to the collection of Charles Drury Edward Fortnum, is now held at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (inv. WA1899.CDEF.B411; 26.1cm high). Jeremy Warren attributes this exceptionally precise casting to Francesco Raibolini (circa 1450-1517), known as “il Francia”, a painter, goldsmith and sculptor from Bologna.
In addition to the Ashmolean Museum example and the present statuette, three other bronzes of the same model are known. One, attributed to the circle of Severo da Ravenna, is held at the Musée du Louvre (inv. OA 9119; 27cm. high); another, formerly in the collection of John Pierpont Morgan, in gilt bronze and attributed to Severo, is now at the Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh (inv. 1991.2; 26cm. high). The last one was recorded in the former Leon Bagrit collection, London, in the 1950s (whereabout unknown; see Y. Hackenbroch, op. cit., pp. 214–17). Another related small bronze, with variations, should also be mentioned: closer to the Venus Felix type, but holding a cornucopia, it formerly belonged to the collection of Henry Pfungst (Sotheby’s, New York, 23–24 November 1984, lot 92; whereabouts unknown). Finally, another variant derived from the Aphrodite of Knidos should be noted. This figure is unclothed, lacks both arms, and has her head slightly tilted to the right; a bronze example is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. Pl. 5600; 23.1cm. high).
The attribution of the present model has given rise to considerable debate. Although a consensus seems to have emerged around Francia, or his circle, for the Fortnum Venus, significant variations in casting quality, notable differences in facial features, and the uneven degree of surface finishing and cold-working among the known examples suggest that they originated from different foundries, all active in northern Italy, around Ravenna, Mantua and Padua, between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. To mention just one example, the Louvre bronze, which bears striking similarities to the present statuette, has at various times been attributed to an early 16th century Paduan workshop, associated with Andrea Riccio, compared with works by Antico and Bartolomeo Bellano, and, more recently, attributed to the workshop of Severo da Ravenna.
Severo da Ravenna was first documented in Ravenna in 1496; he was subsequently recorded in Padua from 1500 to 1509, before returning to Ravenna in 1511. The last recorded evidence of his activity is a payment received from Isabella d’Este in 1527 for a Hercules. Several bronzes by Severo da Ravenna were formerly attributed to Riccio, notably by Leo Planiscig. The present model was among them, although, according to Jeremy Warren, its invention should be credited to Francia. In light of the current state of research on small Italian Renaissance bronzes, the present bronze can be attributed to Severo da Ravenna, like the example in the Louvre. Nevertheless, the quality of the casting and the precision of the chasing, particularly evident in the treatment of the hair, appear superior in the present example.
We are deeply grateful to Dr Jeremy Warren for taking the time to examine the present bronze and for his invaluable assistance with the research and preparation of this catalogue entry.
RELATED LITERATURE
J. Warren, Renaissance Master Bronzes from the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Daniel Katz Gallery, Oxford 1999, no. 14, pp. 56-57;
J. Warren, The Beauty of Bronze, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, 2024, pp. 48-49, no. 9;
W. Bode, (reed.), J. D. Draper, The Italian Bronze statuettes of the Renaissance, New York, 1980, pl. XXII, p. 90;
C. Avery, Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in the Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh, 1993, pp. 43-47, no. 5;
P. Malgouyres, De Filarete à Riccio. Bronzes italiens de la...
