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Lot Essay
While the subject matter of this bronze is derived from daily life rather than the tales of gods and heroes of mythology, the Cowherd is portrayed with an equal grace and complexity. His downward gaze is suggestive of a moment of quiet introspection or is perhaps intended to represent a glance at a faithful dog who has assisted the day’s labor. This finely finished sculpture exemplifies Antonio Susini’s unparalleled technical ability in the creation of small-scale bronzes. The fine chasing and detailing of the eyes and fingernails reveal his precise goldsmith-trained hand at work.
Surviving documentation from the early 17th century referencing versions of this model has led to broad scholarly consensus that the authorship of the composition should be ascribed to Giambologna. The initial creation of the model is dated to prior to 1601 based on a reference to a silver version of the Cowherd in a group of sculptures loaned from the Uffizi to Antonio Susini that year. In 1609, an inventory of Benedetto Gondi’s Florentine collection describes the model as ‘Un pastorino’ and records Giambologna as its maker. Mentions of versions outside Italy at the dawn of the 17th century are also extant including in the famed Kunstkammer of Rudolf II in Prague (inventoried 1607-11) and as part of a group of gifts to Henry Prince of Wales from the Grand Duke of Tuscany in March 1611. When the latter bronze was subsequently inventoried in the collection of Henry’s brother, Charles I, it was described in English as ‘a little Sheppard in a hatt leaning upon his left elbowe holding in his hand a Sheppards drincking bottle…’.
Surviving documentation from the early 17th century referencing versions of this model has led to broad scholarly consensus that the authorship of the composition should be ascribed to Giambologna. The initial creation of the model is dated to prior to 1601 based on a reference to a silver version of the Cowherd in a group of sculptures loaned from the Uffizi to Antonio Susini that year. In 1609, an inventory of Benedetto Gondi’s Florentine collection describes the model as ‘Un pastorino’ and records Giambologna as its maker. Mentions of versions outside Italy at the dawn of the 17th century are also extant including in the famed Kunstkammer of Rudolf II in Prague (inventoried 1607-11) and as part of a group of gifts to Henry Prince of Wales from the Grand Duke of Tuscany in March 1611. When the latter bronze was subsequently inventoried in the collection of Henry’s brother, Charles I, it was described in English as ‘a little Sheppard in a hatt leaning upon his left elbowe holding in his hand a Sheppards drincking bottle…’.