Lot Essay
The present group is a characteristic example of the work of Fanelli, a sculptor of Florentine origin who worked in Genoa before settling at the court of Charles I. Vertue (Pope-Hennessy, op. cit., pp. 166-167) refers to 'Fanelli; the florentine Sculptor who lived and dyd in England, made many small statues. models & cast them in brass,' and lists a whole series of works including 'a Turk on horseback'. It is not inconceivable that he was referring to an example of this model, in spite of the fact that there is no mention of the lion or the dog. Exotic hunting subjects were also popular with another artist patronised by the English court in this period, Sir Peter Paul Rubens.