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Lot Essay
Giambologna's gifts as a creator of animalier bronzes were given full rein in the pair of bronzes of a Lion attacking a Horse and A Lion attacking a Bull. The prototype for the former was a fragmentary marble group now in the garden of the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome, which was restored in 1594 by Ruggiero Bescap with the horse's head bowed forward in surrender. A rare variant by Giambologna shows a very similar solution, but here he has created a far more dramatic image, with the horse twisting his head back in pain. The Lion attacking a Bull, which was clearly created as a pendant, also had an antique prototype, albeit a less celebrated one. Giambologna's great achievement was that he was able to take two disparate antique models and transform them into a dramatic and harmonious pair.
Although no example of this pair of bronzes is signed by Giambologna, they are listed among his models in the early sources. Thus, in 1611, Markus Zeh referred to 'Un gruppo d'un lione ch'ammazo un cavallo' and 'Un gruppo d'un lione ch'uccide un toro', while in 1688 Baldinucci listed 'Il Cavallo ucciso dal Leone' and 'Il toro ucciso dal Tigre', a known variant of this group (Dhanens, loc. cit.). The present bronzes, with their delicately finished details and rich, dark brown patina, appear to have been produced by a French foundry of the 17th century.
Although no example of this pair of bronzes is signed by Giambologna, they are listed among his models in the early sources. Thus, in 1611, Markus Zeh referred to 'Un gruppo d'un lione ch'ammazo un cavallo' and 'Un gruppo d'un lione ch'uccide un toro', while in 1688 Baldinucci listed 'Il Cavallo ucciso dal Leone' and 'Il toro ucciso dal Tigre', a known variant of this group (Dhanens, loc. cit.). The present bronzes, with their delicately finished details and rich, dark brown patina, appear to have been produced by a French foundry of the 17th century.