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Lot Essay
This superbly cast bronze group of a sleeping nymph and satyr was one of Giambologna's most popular and influential compositions. It is known in a number of casts, both with and without the satyr, but the present example is among the finest quality known to exist.
The figure of the nymph is based upon the celebrated antique Ariadne which is first recorded in 1512 as having been acquired by Pope Julius II, and which is now housed in the Vatican Museum, Rome (Haskell and Penny, loc. cit.). In Giambologna's group, the nymph is portayed almost fully nude and, although the overall position of the figure is close to the antique prototype, Giambologna has altered the position of the legs and the arms in a way which enhances the elongated and langourous nature of the figure.
As mentioned above, the bronze is known in a number of versions, both with and without the satyr. This latter figure is invariably cast separately, and attached to the plinth so that one sees him at the moment before he touches the leg of the nymph and wakes her. In the narrative depicted here, the nymph is still unaware of the amourous advances of her admirer. In his recent entry on the group in the Berlin exhibition of bronzes (op. cit., no. 115) Martin Raumschüssel suggests that the sculptor Adrian de Vries - who is known to have worked with Giambologna in the years 1581-1585 - may have been responsible for the invention of the satyr.
Although known in a number of versions, it is significant that only one example is documented as having been cast during the life of Giambologna. This is the example which was given by Francesco I de' Medici to Christian II, Elector of Saxony. It was recorded in the first inventory of the Dresden Kunstkammer of 1587, and is presently in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Grünes Gewolbe, Dresden (Berlin, op. cit., no. 115). The present bronze group is almost identical to the Dresden bronze in terms of its patination, and the chasing corresponds down to the tiniest detail, as with the embroidered stitching around the edge of the nymph's pillow. The mask on the end of the daybed, which takes different forms among the known examples of this model, is also identical to the documented Dresden group.
In terms of quality of execution, the bronze is attributable to Antonio Susini, Giambologna's assistant and most gifted founder, who was working in the Borgo Pinti workshops from around 1580. This attribution is strengthened by comparison with the Dresden bronze which, as an important diplomatic gift from one head of state to another, would almost certainly have been entrusted to Susini to cast.
The figure of the nymph is based upon the celebrated antique Ariadne which is first recorded in 1512 as having been acquired by Pope Julius II, and which is now housed in the Vatican Museum, Rome (Haskell and Penny, loc. cit.). In Giambologna's group, the nymph is portayed almost fully nude and, although the overall position of the figure is close to the antique prototype, Giambologna has altered the position of the legs and the arms in a way which enhances the elongated and langourous nature of the figure.
As mentioned above, the bronze is known in a number of versions, both with and without the satyr. This latter figure is invariably cast separately, and attached to the plinth so that one sees him at the moment before he touches the leg of the nymph and wakes her. In the narrative depicted here, the nymph is still unaware of the amourous advances of her admirer. In his recent entry on the group in the Berlin exhibition of bronzes (op. cit., no. 115) Martin Raumschüssel suggests that the sculptor Adrian de Vries - who is known to have worked with Giambologna in the years 1581-1585 - may have been responsible for the invention of the satyr.
Although known in a number of versions, it is significant that only one example is documented as having been cast during the life of Giambologna. This is the example which was given by Francesco I de' Medici to Christian II, Elector of Saxony. It was recorded in the first inventory of the Dresden Kunstkammer of 1587, and is presently in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Grünes Gewolbe, Dresden (Berlin, op. cit., no. 115). The present bronze group is almost identical to the Dresden bronze in terms of its patination, and the chasing corresponds down to the tiniest detail, as with the embroidered stitching around the edge of the nymph's pillow. The mask on the end of the daybed, which takes different forms among the known examples of this model, is also identical to the documented Dresden group.
In terms of quality of execution, the bronze is attributable to Antonio Susini, Giambologna's assistant and most gifted founder, who was working in the Borgo Pinti workshops from around 1580. This attribution is strengthened by comparison with the Dresden bronze which, as an important diplomatic gift from one head of state to another, would almost certainly have been entrusted to Susini to cast.