Francesco Righetti (1749-1819) began his career under Luigi Valadier, a leading Roman silversmith who also produced copies of important Antique statuary. Righetti though soon gained fame in his own right, receiving his first large scale commission in 1781 from the English banker, Henry Hope. He later received commissions from the most influential patrons, including Catherine II of Russia, (for whom he produced figures of Parnassus and Apollo). It was not until the last decade of the century that Righetti began to produce high quality miniature castings after the Antique in commercial quantities, pricing them to attract the interest of the numerous gentleman travellers of the period. 1795 saw Righetti produce a catalogue of these bronzes, including some modern works as well as those after the Antique. The bronze offered in this lot would presumably be one of these productions.