Lot Essay
Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507(?)-1563) worked with Michelangelo on the New Sacristy of S. Lorenzo, and it is from the work of the elder master that these figures are ultimately indebted. The Captive and Dying Slaves, with their athletic figures, deeply carved hair, and contorted poses, provide a relevant comparison to the present figures, and would have been well-known to Montorsoli.
The attribution of these atlantes has, however, been given to the workshop of the younger sculptor on the basis of similarities to other known works. Among these, one might cite the marble river gods from Montorsoli's Fountain of Orion, executed in Messina in the late 1540's and probably completed in 1550 (Laschke, op. cit., no. 13, figs. 103, 106).
The attribution of these atlantes has, however, been given to the workshop of the younger sculptor on the basis of similarities to other known works. Among these, one might cite the marble river gods from Montorsoli's Fountain of Orion, executed in Messina in the late 1540's and probably completed in 1550 (Laschke, op. cit., no. 13, figs. 103, 106).